Democracy and Sovereignty

Question 1

\What do we mean by Democracy?

Answer 1

government of the people by the people and for the people

Question 2

What do we mean by Sovereignty?

Answer 2

supreme power or authority.

Question 3

What do we mean by Direct Democracy?

Answer 3

in which individuals express their opinions themselves (eg Refrendums)

Question 4

What do we mean by Representative Democracy?

Answer 4

Citizens elect representatives to take decisions on their behalf. Citizens delegate their authority to representatives

Question 5

What are Advantages of Direct Democracy?

Answer 5

• Equal weight to all votes
• Encourages participation
• Develops a sense of community

Question 6

What are Advantages of Representative Democracy?

Answer 6

• Practical system in a large modern country
• Different political parties represent different ideologies and give voters a real chance of representation
• Elections allow people to hold representatives accountable
• Politicians are better informed about issues they must tackle first to help the government

Question 7

What are disadvantages of direct democracy?

Answer 7

1. It is impractical in a large modern country.
2. Many people will not vote or not feel bothered

Question 8

What are disadvantages of representative democracy?

Answer 8

1. Minority viewpoints are disregarded
2. Open manipulation to good speakers that twist their speech
3. Politicians may be corrupt in getting what they want

Question 9

What is popular sovereignty?

Answer 9

Sovereign power is vested in the people and that those representatives chosen by the public must exercise their power in alignment with public opinion

Question 10

What is Parliamentary Sovereignty?

Answer 10

Parliament is the supreme legal authority which can create or end any law

Question 11

What is Democratic Participation?

Answer 11

Opportunities for and tendencies of the people to become involved in the political process.

Question 12

What are examples of Democratic Participation?

Answer 12

1. Elections or Referendum to vote
2. Manifestos and Opinion Polls on Social Media
3. Interactive quizzes or comments below news articles
4. Join pressure groups or lessons for politics
5. Participating in a Census

Question 13

What is the Civil Service?

Answer 13

The Civil Service provides services directly to people all over the country. They work to implement policies as quickly as possible.

Question 14

What sort of the work do the Civil Service do?

Answer 14

• Work for ministers in government
• Politically neutral
• Will work with whoever is in power
• Permanent posts
• Do the bulk of the work in carrying out policy