PPAS 1110 Lecture 4: Oct.5 2016
8 Mar 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
1
Prof: Karimi
TA: Kirk Atkinson (Email:[email protected])
Oct. 5, 2016
Week #4 Oct. 5, 2016
Democracy, Liberalism and Capitalism
Readings:
● A Reply to Leo Panitch on The Task of Socialist
Political Theory
● The Real World of Democracy
LECTURE NOTES
Week 4: Democracy and Capitalism:
Democracy : a contested concept: Has become a floating signifier
Historical evolution:
A- Classical Democracy: Developed in city states of Athens
● Mass participation in electing state officials for running the affairs of the state
Its Pillars: Equality, justice and popular sovereignty
● Women were not allowed to vote, one had to be a citizen, over 20 and a free
man(nom-slave).
● Equal chances of being elected. Equal power.
● Plato stated that democracy was a worse form of chaos government
● Classless society & one-class society fits this type of government (Everyone has equal
amount of land).
● Jean-Jacques Rousseau also contemplated such form of democracy
classical democracy envisioned a classless or one class society.
○ He believed in private property.
Shortcomings:exclusion based on gender, age, social status
● Non-citizens.
● Women.
Liberalism and democracy in eighteenth century:
● By the time democracy arrived in western societies, liberal ideas and liberal state had
already taken roots. Democracy was seen as a threat to the ruling class Was regarded
as the rule by mob.
● Thus, it was difficult to integrate democracy with liberalism.
B- Liberal Democracy: fusion of liberalism and democracy in late eighteenth and early
decades of nineteenth century
● democracy as a threat to the liberal state was transformed into a fulfillment of the
liberal state because it came to be mainly associated with political rights
dissociated from the economic sphere. Instead of democratizing liberalism,
find more resources at oneclass.com
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2
Prof: Karimi
TA: Kirk Atkinson (Email:[email protected])
Oct. 5, 2016
democracy was liberalized and was in turn expunged from its inspiring normative
élan and has since been invoked as benchmark to measure the principles and
procedures of governing institutions. Liberal democracy is typically designed to fit a
democratic system of government in a class-divided society.
Different Models of Democracy:
1- Protective model of democracy: Associated with the writing of Jeremy Bentham and
James Mill (Utilitarian).
Essential Characteristics:
● Democracy was seen as the most effective tool to safeguard life, liberty , property and
pursuance of happiness.
● Certain groups were prohibited from voting. separation of powers and ensuring
mechanisms of accountability. This was based on limiting the powers of the poor,
women, uneducated, slaves, and young(under 20) from taking over the ability to make
decisions.
● Best law would produce the greatest happiness, promote security, and equality for the
greater number (Utilitarianism). General ends of law are to provide subsistence, to
produce abundance, to favour equality and to maintain security.
● The main model of democracy were designed to maintain and protect economic
property. Appointed officials were put in the senate to prevent the working class from
taking over and to protect higher-class property.
2-Developmental Model of Democracy: associated with writing of John Stuart Mill (the
most democratic among all liberals) contained a moral vision of the possibility of improving
human conditions.
● Emphasizing;
○ Liberty and individual self-development
○ Decentralization of political power
○ Safeguarding civil liberty
○ Shortcoming
○ Still accepted market/capital/social relations as given.
○ Restriction on voting
○ Preaching cooperation and association between capital and labour.
3-Pluralist-Elitist- Equilibrium Model: Josef Schumpeter
● Once decisions are formed, the actions are made by the elites.
● Currently prevalent in Western Societies.
● Democracy is seen as a mechanism for choosing and authorizing government
● No involvement of people in policy making after election implicit support for low
political participation
● Democracy is simply a market mechanism: voters are consumers and politicians are
entrepreneurs.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
A reply to leo panitch on the task of socialist. Democracy : a contested concept: has become a floating signifier. A- classical democracy: developed in city states of athens. Mass participation in electing state officials for running the affairs of the state. Women were not allowed to vote, one had to be a citizen, over 20 and a free man(nom-slave). Plato stated that democracy was a worse form of chaos government. Classless society & one-class society fits this type of government (everyone has equal amount of land). Jean-jacques rousseau also contemplated such form of democracy classical democracy envisioned a classless or one class society. By the time democracy arrived in western societies, liberal ideas and liberal state had already taken roots. Democracy was seen as a threat to the ruling class was regarded as the rule by mob. Thus, it was difficult to integrate democracy with liberalism.
