Direct democracy

Question 1

What is direct democracy?

Answer 1

People make decisions for themselves. In its purest form, there is no government.

Question 2

Advantages of direct democracy

Answer 2

Everyone in society participates
People directly make decisions in their interests
All citizens’ voices are equal
It is the purest form of democracy

Question 3

Disadvantages of direct democracy

Answer 3

Impractical to achieve securely as it requires all citizens to be involved in decision-making daily
Citizens become apathetic if they are asked to participate too often
People will vote in their own interests, not society’s
No minority voices can be heard, resulting in the tyranny of the majority

Question 4

Evaluation of Athenian democracy (possibly closest form of direct democracy seen)

Answer 4

+Democracy in Ancient Athens was a revolutionary system
+It gave all citizens equal political rights, regardless of wealth, social standing, education, ancestry etc.
-Only adult, male citizens could apply for the privileges and duties of gov
-Of 250,000 people in Athens, only 3,000 actively participated in politics and of this number as few as 100 citizens (the wealthiest, most influencial and best speakers) dominated the political arena
-People were too often swayed by a good orator or got carried away with their emptions
-Often lacked necessary knowledge to make informed decisions
-Citizen body was still a closed political elite