The concept of democracy and non-democracy begins with the advent of the State. The clear distinction between the two concepts became clear when democracy came into practice in 508 BC. The first form of democracy, what is now known as Athenian democracy, was introduced to Athens by Cleisthenes. Democracy has since evolved into a more nuanced form of statehood, the one described by Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address in which he described democracy as a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” The idea of ​​non-democracy has been prevalent for a long time, although forms of non-democracy have taken various forms. In a non-democracy, power is not vested in the people but rather in a person or group. Historically, all states were once non-democracies, mostly monarchies. Over time, different forms of non-democracy began to take shape, some of which were dictatorships, authoritarian regimes, etc. As states and governments become more complicated, the idea of ​​democracy and non-democracy and what it constitutes in these two respects also becomes more and more complicated. distinct concepts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Democracy is defined as a type of government or political system governed by citizens, that is, people who are members of a society. In a democracy, citizens hold a certain level of power and authority and actively participate in the political or decision-making process of their government. Therefore, democracy as a system of government has four key elements: “A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections. The active participation of people, as citizens, in politics and civil life. Protection of the human rights of all citizens. A rule of law, where laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens. “The basic idea of ​​democracy is that government is based on the consent of the governed. The United States of America is considered by many Western political scientists to be the most perfect example of democracy, where through direct and indirect elections, citizens of the state can be involved in all government and state decisions. In a democracy, the people are sovereign: they represent the highest form of political authority. The powers of government are given to them by the people, by the heads of state. The government holds this power only temporarily. Laws and policies require majority support in parliament, but minority rights are protected in various ways. These ways include the freedom to criticize one's leaders and elected representatives. They are also free to observe all the different procedures adopted by parliament and government. Elected representatives are obliged to listen to and submit to the scrutiny of the citizens who elected them. Therefore, citizens have the power of checks and balances that keeps the government on track. To keep the government in constant rotation, elections must be held at regular intervals, as prescribed by individual state laws. Those in power cannot extend their mandate without once again seeking the consent of the people in an election. These elections should be administered by a neutral, fair and professional body that treats all political parties and candidates equally. For example, the Election Commission of India. These bodies allow voters to vote in secret, without fear of intimidation and violence. The process must be free from corruption, intimidation and fraud. Therefore there are independent observers who observe the voting and vote counting to ensure that the process isexempt from such illegal situations. Democracies tend to have an impartial and independent court to resolve disputes over election results. This is why it takes a long time to organize good and democratic elections. Any country can hold an election, but for an election to be free and fair requires a lot of organization, preparation, and training of political parties, election officials, and civil society organizations that monitor the process. If democracy is to work, citizens must not only participate and exercise their rights, but also observe certain principles and rules of democratic conduct. For example, they must respect the rule of law. Citizens of the state are obligated to question government decisions, but not to reject government authority. One of the fundamental requirements for democracy is compromise. Groups with different interests and opinions must be willing to sit down with each other and negotiate. Therefore, although there are different forms of democracy, these are the fundamental elements of a democratic state. In theory, Democratic States can be considered the perfect example of a Modern State. However, there are many problems in practice. Winston Churchill observed: "No one pretends that democracy is perfect or omniscient. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except all those other forms which have been tried from time to time." Democracy has been criticized in various aspects such as economic inefficiency, political unrealism, dysfunctional ideas and practices, moral corruption and sociopolitical issues. The concept of non-democracy is extremely broad and involves various forms of government, such as authoritarianism, monarchy, dictatorship, totalitarianism, etc. Non-democracy is basically the opposite of democracy, where the head of state has total power over the various parts of the government and state. Power no longer rests with the people but rather with a person or group of people who make all decisions without the consent of the citizens of the state. To understand nondemocracy, we must consider the various forms of nondemocracy. There are eight fundamental forms of authoritarianism, totalitarianism, dictatorship, sultanism; Monarchy, oligarchy, technocracy and theocracy. Authoritarianism is a form of social organization characterized by submission to authority and the administration of that authority. An authoritarian government is characterized by highly concentrated and centralized power maintained by political repression and the exclusion of potential challengers. It uses political parties and mass organizations to mobilize people around the regime's goals. Authoritarianism emphasizes arbitrary law rather than the rule of law, including election fraud and political decisions made by a select group of officials behind closed doors. Authoritarianism is characterized by the “indefinite political mandate” of an autocratic state or a state with a party in power. Totalitarianism is an extreme version of authoritarianism. Authoritarianism differs from totalitarianism primarily in that social and economic institutions exist free from government control. In contrast, totalitarianism is a political system in which the state holds total authority over society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life where necessary. The term “authoritarian regime” denotes a state in which the single holder of power – a single “dictator”, a committee or a junta or in any case a small group of the political elite – monopolizes political power. However, a totalitarian regime attempts to control virtually all aspects of social life, including the economy, education, art,science, private life and the morality of citizens. The concept became prominent in Western anti-communist political discourse during the Cold War era in order to highlight perceived similarities between Nazi Germany and other fascist regimes on the one hand and Soviet communism on the other. A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government. in which the government is ruled by an individual: a dictator. In contemporary usage, dictatorship refers to an autocratic form of absolute rule by a leadership without restrictions due to law, constitutions, or other social and political factors within the state. A dictatorship is a form of government that has the power to rule without the consent of those being governed (similar to authoritarianism). A monarchy is a form of government in which sovereignty is actually or nominally embodied in a single individual, the monarch. This is a form of government in which a state or political system is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and rules for life or until abdication. Monarchs may be autocrats (absolute monarchy) or ceremonial heads of state exercising little or no power or only reserve power, with actual authority vested in a parliament or other body such as a constitutional assembly. An oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power actually rests with a small number of people. These people might be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family connections, education, corporate or military control. Such states are often controlled by a few prominent families who pass their influence from one generation to the next. Forms of government and other political structures associated with oligarchy usually include aristocracy, meritocracy, plutocracy, military junta, technocracy, and theocracy. Non-democracies have become a central idea in the debate whether Western democracy is or is not, especially Western democracy in view of Intrusion into the functioning of other states has become an ideal in a world where there should be no ideal in relation to how democracy should be implemented. According to Freedom House, Singapore is not an electoral democracy. This is because “the country is governed through a parliamentary system and elections are free from irregularities and electoral fraud, but the ruling PAP dominates the political process. The prime minister retains control over the electoral department and the country does not have a structurally independent electoral authority. Opposition campaigns have generally been hampered by bans on political films and television programmes, the threat of libel suits, tough rules on political associations and the PAP's influence on the media and courts.” However, Singapore has become a wonder to behold and applaud. His success in the context of economics and development was a direct attack on the idea that “Western-style” democracy is the best form of government. When you study the statistics or ask citizens, there can be no doubt that the Singapore government is delivering real results. positive results. It is also clear that Singapore's governance system does not meet many conventional "good governance" criteria. Since most governance theories argue that good performance requires good Western-style democracy, Singapore's record over the past fifty years presents a challenge. Singapore has had only three prime ministers since its independence in 1959. Historically, the most voted party in each GRC has won all of its four to six seats, so the system has effectively strengthened the dominant party's majority. This party.”