Democracy is Often Greatly Illiberal

 Democracy is Often Greatly Illiberal  

 

Often in society, democracy is treated as being synonymous with freedom, therefore aligning itself perfectly with the core concept of liberalism. However, in reality, this is not always the case. In fact, a large portion of true liberals find democracy to be entirely illiberal, believing it to prioritise the will of the majority over individual rights. 

 

Democracy, originating in Ancient Athens (6th – 5th century BCE), refers to a system of government ruled by the people, most recognisably through electoral processes, rather than a singular individual as previously was typical – ‘Demos’ in Ancient Greek translating to ‘people’ and ‘Kratos’ to ‘rule’. 1 The beginnings of this political concept introduced the allowance of free male citizens to participate in decision-making of the state and since has evolved to allow representative systems made up of elected officials to act on behalf of the general population. Throughout this long period of democracy establishing itself as the most widespread form of government, the key values have remained the same: legitimacy comes from the majority. 

 

Liberalism, by contrast, is a political ideology centred primarily around freedom, or the rights of the individual. Highlighted most specifically is the insistence that civil liberties cannot be forsaken under any circumstances, namely, freedom of speech, equality before the law, protection of minorities, and safeguarding the rule of law. Popularity or public agreement is rarely considered in liberal debates, focusing instead on these concepts to protect the individual. Origins of this ideology trace back to the Enlightenment period as a response to monarchical and religious domination, aiming to shape the extent of power a government should wield over its people. 

 

Once these political concepts are defined, it’s evident how the two do not always align, as simplified by the comparison of: 

Democracy – who is in charge and how are their decisions made; 

and liberalism – a government's limits.  

 

Tensions between democracy and liberalism first become evident through the concept of “Tyranny of the Majority”, defined by “When the will of a majority population group exclusively prevails in a system of government...” 2 In such a situation, where majority is the only factor considered when making a majorly significant political decision, it is easy for individual rights, especially for minorities, to be lost. Examples of this throughout history are in the enactment of discriminatory marriage laws, banned religious practices, restricted language rights, and racial segregation. In each of these cases, because the popular vote has been in favour, following the core concept of democracy, the beliefs of liberalism have been disregarded. The image below further shows the simplified dangers of the tyranny of the majority.  

 

 

3 

  

This isn’t, however, to say that democracy is fundamentally undesirable, controlling, or restrictive. In fact, when paired with constitutional protection to prevent majoritarian power from growing too oppressive, democracy can uplift liberal ideas by giving the people a chance to use their voice. Rather, this discussion is designed to counter the common societal belief that a democratic government is a majorly liberal concept. Democracy can be, and often is, greatly illiberal.