Over half the world’s countries now operate under some form of democracy. But things haven’t always been this way and most places had to host an uprising to get it. So let’s take a look at the status of voting.
Initially
Initially the world was inhabited by cave people and the toughest guy became boss. After they left, we were ruled by various forms of monarchies. Britain had its kings and queens, Russia its czars and czarinas, Austria and Germany had their kaisers and kaiserins (though women weren’t allowed to rule), and of course China and Japan brought us all those dynasties (with emperors and empresses).
These systems lasted throughout most of history until people finally got fed up. Sure, some of them were good but one-family rule came with two inherent problems: How to kick the bums out? And what if the kid’s a fool?
Democracy
Democracy lets us pick leaders, which is great. It also lets us choose representatives and which ideology we’d currently like to employ. No more incompetent, ruthless bastards for 30 years followed by some idiot kid. So hurray for democracy. But there’s another blessing that comes along—it’s safer for the neighbours.
In a popular interview, President Obama admitted something that’s exceedingly well known. “The longer a dictator stays in power, the weirder they get.” Not all of them. Thailand lost its king a few years back and the country is still in mourning. And the reign of Queen Elizabeth I has gone down as a wonderful time in history. But most of us know that if you’re not continually forced to earn your position, one tends to get kooky. And this weirdness can lead to deviant behaviour, like wanting to go to war just to honour your name.
Alternatives
Anyway, once the monarchy was overthrown not every country acted the same. Some banished them forever, some kept them in a ceremonial position, and some reduced their powers gradually until they became a ceremonial position. But once the crown was gone, nations had only four choices:
- Democracy
- Military Dictatorship
- Dictator-style Communism (e.g., Cuba)
- Party-style Communism (e.g., China)
Democracy is obviously what we love in the West but remember it’s still new. Part way through the 20th century there were only twelve—with Britain, America, and France making up the big three. (Note: Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were on the list thanks to the Brits.)
Dictatorships are either military based (generally through a coup) or founded on a leader who gains support of the military. These were popular in Central and South American plus Mexico. Dictators would then either leave the economy alone or convert it to communism.
The last option is what Russia did. Host an uprising to bring about a more formal version of central rule. Within party-style communism, the next leader is chosen by the party (what China used to do). Within dictatorial, it goes to a relative (e.g., Cuba).
Note: You also hear the term fascism. It’s supposed to be a dictator supported by the corporate elite but many times it’s just a dictator who didn’t switch to communism. Technically, there have been only three: Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco in Spain. Franco’s story is least known but the best one. When the democratically elected government decided to switch to communism, Franco led the charge against it. Now that’s different—a capitalist dictator fighting elected communists.
Challenges
Anyway, the problem with democracy is it has many requirements. Like, all parties have to be decently qualified. Why? Because people don’t put much effort into their vote so virtually anyone can win. And if elected officials are of poor quality, they can really screw things up. So all parties have to be somewhat good, or at least decently qualified.
Second, adopting countries must learn from the pros. Older democracies have already figured out you need to separate church from state. This means you can’t have a religious party that wants to implement a faith-based constitution. It’s too restrictive for when you educate your people. Third, you need established parties who fight like cats and dogs. Democracy is an exercise in exhaustion. Ideas have to be totally thought out and battled over, and a significant chunk of the population must participate. (That’s why we have lousy dinner parties.)
Plus you must instill a general mindset. People have to go from “Billy’s the boss” to majority rules. Both are natural but “majority rules” is definitely the step up (just watch kids play in a schoolyard). And there’s an established protocol for getting there. First you must get your economy going, then educate the people, and last, build the political infrastructure. But unfortunately, that’s not the way it always works out—most nations have to fight for it.
Summary
If there’s one thing I know it’s that people will fight for freedom. We humans have an internal calling for better. I also know that power doesn’t transfer easily. That’s why attaining democracy repeatedly involves violence. It’s the ugly side of progress (and Canada got lucky).
The easiest places have already been converted. Take Poland—one tribe, one language, one religion. They went from A to B in an historic jiffy. The rest will be more difficult. Like Ethiopia—90 tribes, 88 languages, and 3-4 major religions. Certainly, a tougher situation.
Of the 80 remaining countries most will experience some sort of civil war on their path to the polls. Toss in modern day weaponry and you can picture the rest. And with all the uprisings, occupations, and wars, it’s reasonable to question the worth of it. Are the benefits of democracy worth the costs? Well, when the dust settles it sorts out to this: people get freedom, a higher standard of living, and the ability to live in fairness. Plus every other nation gets to have a friendly neighbour. Which is why you’re having it, like it or not.