Democracy And Nation Building Flashcards
What does democracy mean?
Democracy is a system of government where the power to make decisions is vested in the hands of the people, either directly or through elected representatives.
OR
It is a system of government where it’s authority is taken from the expressed will/opinion of the population through elected representatives
Define constitution
This is a set of rules and regulations that govern the administration and management of a country
Define constitutional rule
This is the governance of a country in which the procedures connected with the management and administration of a country are based on a set of rules and regulations regarded as the fundamental laws of the country
Mention the types of democracy
Direct/ Classical Democracy
Indirect/ Representative democracy
Define Athenian democracy
This is a system of government in which the people take direct participation in the decisions of issues or affairs of the country
Define representative democracy
This is a form of government in which people are elected and mandated to govern on behalf of the whole population
What is nation building
This is the uninterrupted effort to maintain unity and togetherness in order to improve upon a quality of life of the individuals in the country
OR
IT INVOLVES THE CONSCIOUS ATTEMPT TO FOSTER UNITY AND PEACE AMONG DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS IN A COUNTRY TOGETHER AS A UNIT
OR
It’s the integration of constituent groups in a country into a cohesive political unit to foster unity solidarity and peace for national development
Mention three sources of a constitution
Statutory sources,customary sources, Constitution of other nations, judicial precedents, authoritative sources
Mention 2 classifications of constitution
Written or unwritten constitution, flexible or rigid constitution, federal or unitary constitution, monarchical or republican constitution
Define written constitution
This is a constitution in which the rules regulations and provisions for governing the people within the country are put into a single legal documents
Mention three advantages of a written constitution
It provides certainty of rules and regulations
It establishes the organs and institutions of government
It protects minority groups and individuals
Is allocate powers and functions to the organs and institutions of government
It protects fundamental human rights
It serves as the symbol of statehood
It is a safeguard against arbitrary rule(dictatorship)
Mention three disadvantages of written constitution
It is rigid
It has strict interpretation
It slows down administration of a country
It has not take into consideration customs and usages
What is unwritten constitution
This refers to the constitution in which the rules and regulations which form the principles of the organization and powers of a government have not been good for the one document
Mention two advantages of unwritten constitution
It is elastic and adaptable
It is dynamic
It satisfies diverse interests
It recovers from shocks
It’s flexible and allows for quick decisions
Mention three disadvantages of unwritten constitution
It is difficult to safeguard individual rights and liberties
It lacks precision
It lacks a defined ideology
It promotes dictatorship
