Democracy is vulnerable

Many people take democracy for granted, but democracy is rather vulnerable. Several countries in the world are moving from democracy towards a more authoritarian and dictatorial rule. Are there other ways to achieve fair rule than democracy as we know it today?

Accessibility icon Democracy is vulnerable

Is democracy about to fall?

The political ruling in different countries has made many people disappointed with democracy. Because of economic crises, many leaders want to go back to autocracy, which means that the power belongs to one person or a small group. 

Not enough support

Support for democracy is at its lowest since World War II, especially in the Western world. This means that many citizens do not vote in elections. If it continues like this, only half of the people in the West will vote in five years’ time.

How will we be ruled?

What will happen if democracy disappears? What will replace it? Will it be dictators or perhaps artificial intelligence?

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En mann styrer mange mennesker med tråder.
En mann styrer mange mennesker med tråder.

Have we learned anything from history?

Have we learned anything from history? Most people want to live safely and be able to decide about their own lives. But why do so many people experience the exact opposite?

Different forms of government

Democracy has more often been the exception than the rule. Many countries have been ruled by dictators. Democracy and dictatorship are very different. 

Dictators and oligarchs

Dictators are people who rule a country by themselves. One example is Adolf Hitler in Germany during World War II. 

Oligarchs are a group of people who are in power. Oligarchs can rule a dictatorship. Many of the leaders are brutal and violent. 

Anarchy and meritocracy

In anarchy, no one has superior power. Society is ruled through cooperation and a wish for free will. Meritocracy is very rare. Here, those with special skills are put in charge. 

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En overdimensjonert rød mann ser ned på en stor folkemengde.
En overdimensjonert rød mann ser ned på en stor folkemengde.

Democracy in Athens

Democracy in Athens could look like a gentlemen’s club. Only 10 percent were allowed to vote. This was only men, not women or slaves. 

The men who were allowed to decide met a few times a month and cast their votes by putting colored stones in a jar.

There were no political parties or elections. There was nothing that controlled power. So those in charge could commit offenses without being punished for them.

Since there were so few people in the assembly, it was more like a direct system than a democracy like the one we have in Norway today. 

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En mann står i et tempel og snakker med en gruppe menn.
En mann står i et tempel og snakker med en gruppe menn.

The Corsican Constitution

Corsica is an island outside Italy. The democracy in Corsica is not that well known. The Corsicans attacked the other countries that had ruled. They created a constitution that all citizens signed. This was something completely new.

It was supposed to be a democracy, both men and women were allowed to vote. But the French invaded Corsica in 1769 and took away democracy.

📷  The port of Bonifacio in Corsica.
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Havneområde på Korsika med mange båter og en festning.
Havneområde på Korsika med mange båter og en festning.

Democracies began to flourish

Democracy started in the mid-19th century. Many people got an education and wanted to use their voices. The ruling power realized that they couldn’t keep the people out of politics. When many people vote, democracy grows.

📷  People going to vote in the US.

The democracies grow in three major waves:

  • The first wave came in the first half of the 19th century. That is when almost all white men in America got the right to vote.
  • The second wave came after World War II. In 1962 there were 36 democracies. 
  • The third wave was between 1970 and 1990. Because of the fall of the Soviet Union, many dictatorships fell in Europe and Latin America.

Democracy became very popular between the second and the third wave. People were optimistic because democracy was viewed as the only form of ruling a country. At the beginning of the 2000s, it was believed that democracy was here to stay.

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Mange mennesker på vei i samme retning.
Mange mennesker på vei i samme retning.

Many democracies disappeared

After each wave, democratic development slowed down. This led to some countries going back to authoritarian ruling. The most critical period was after the First World War. Between 1922 and 1944, the number of dictatorships grew, and the democracies became fewer.

📷   The Soviet Union was a dictatorship under the rules of Vladimir Lenin (1917-1924) and Josef Stalin (1924-1953). The picture shows the flag of the Soviet Union used between 1923-1991.
Sovjetunionens flagg
Sovjetunionens flagg
Riksdagen i Berlin brenner 1933.
Riksdagen i Berlin brenner 1933.

The road to power

So how do these leaders gain power through the inside?

  • They can start by gaining power over the courts. Then they can choose who they want as a judges and in other positions. 
  • They can take control of the media. These must be forced to cooperate and be silent.
  • The last thing is to create problems for the enemies by changing the election rules.

When this process is underway, the country is on its way to becoming an autocracy.

Why do we choose such leaders?

Bad economy and high unemployment are often important factors, and many people don’t know what the future will bring. Many of them think that it will not get any better and that living conditions will be worse in the future. So they do not see any benefits of democracy. 

Populist leaders find simple solutions to the problems, and they try to show voters that the future will be better.

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Mann med dress trekker et sceneteppe med godt vær for å dekke over det dårlige været.
Mann med dress trekker et sceneteppe med godt vær for å dekke over det dårlige været.

Can we imagine other systems?

Can artificial intelligence and technology take over democracy?

In 1651, Thomas Hobbes presented an idea about an automated state where decisions are made on the basis of research.  

But can we trust the machines?

Technology has its flaws and cannot always be trusted. Mistakes happen, and this can lead to serious consequences. Can algorithms give you the right answer? Sometimes yes, but computers have no emotions or values. So algorithms cannot decide whether something is morally right or wrong.

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Robot står og tenker med med høyre hånd på haka og med vektskåler og en dommerhammer i bakgrunnen.
Robot står og tenker med med høyre hånd på haka og med vektskåler og en dommerhammer i bakgrunnen.

How can we achieve true democracy?

There are different ways to take part in a democracy. In Norway, you can vote both in local and parliamentary elections. We vote for the person or party we want to represent us. This is called representative democracy. We think that the politicians we have voted for will make decisions we agree to, but that doesn’t always happen.

Referendums

A referendum is an election where all people can vote on a specific matter – direct democracy. One example was in 1972 and 1994 when the people were asked to decide if Norway should join the EU.

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Syv avatarer sitter på stoler i en ring og samtaler med hverandre.
Syv avatarer sitter på stoler i en ring og samtaler med hverandre.
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Stortinget

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