by Michael Wooldridge

Created on: November 17, 2008

It is important, in this debate, to clarify the definition of "Democracy." A democracy means, simply put, that people vote for their leadership. Now how much of their leadership the people vote for depends on the county. In the UK, they have a constitutional monarchy, which means that the people vote for members of parliament who represent their interests to the Queen. In the United States we have a representative democracy, which is similar, and basically means that we elect representatives who decide on policy.

The important thing to remember about democracy in general, though, is that it doesn't mean that everyone gets their way. It means that everyone participates in the process, but because it depends on the will of the people, democracy can be easily hijacked by a powerful majority. This majority can suppress and persecute a minority in it's country, and even make the persecution legal, because they can control the law. This is what happened in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. The Nazi's created laws that discriminated against gays, the mentally retarded, Jews, and other minorities. This happened for a variety of reasons, but it is important to recognize that the process started out legally. Hitler was elected democratically.

There are lessons for democracy in the example of Nazi Germany. One of the most important lessons is that democracy cannot just be majority rule, it must have a system for those who's leader did not get elected to air their grievances, in a non-violent way. In addition, it is important for compromise to be reached regarding the laws and rules of the land. This way, the majority of the people will feel that their voice is heard, even those who are not getting what they want politically.

Obviously it is impossible to please all of the people, all of the time, but if people feel that they are generally members of a society where they have a voice, they are less prone to violence. If the system works for them, they will not feel the need to work outside of it, to harm it, or to create their own system though violence or any other extralegal means. This in turn will increase stability in a country, and prevent the rise of figures who preach violence and hatred.

If people feel that they are ignored and that they have no choice, they will undoubtedly resort to violence to make their voices heard, and in the world today this often takes the form of terrorism. Terrorists are not necessarily ideologues, but rather people who capitalize on the frustrations and problems of others to create a situation where their organization can benefit and flourish and make it's demands known. Individuals seeking power can capitalize on the unhappiness of a large minority, and by providing leadership, destabilize even a democratic country. Terrorism will not decrease merely by the existence of democracy, but only in a democracy where the will of the majority is balanced against the needs of the minorities, and where the minorities have outlets for their voices to be heard.

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