Do we really have a democracy?

A detailed Summary of Do we really have a democracy?

Do we really have a democracy? Well, society is too large to have direct democracy. Even representative democracy is hard to achieve on such a large scale. Look at the voter turnout in the United States. It is lower than ever. If ordinary citizens aren't making policy, then who is? One answer is the Elite Theory.

The Elite Theory is a theory that states that the elite of society controls public policy. If the Elite Theory were correct it would consist of two parts. The first part would be an uninterested public. With the low voter turnout in the polls, some people would argue that the American people aren't interested. The second part would be an Elite class that made almost all of the decisions. Some scholars argue that the rich of today would be that elite class. "The power elite is composed of men whose positions enable them to transcend the ordinary environments of ordinary men and women; they are in positions to make decisions having major consequences. Whether they do or do not make such decisions is less important that the fact that they do occupy such pivotal positions: their failure to act, their failure to make decisions, is itself an act that is often of greater consequences than the decisions they do make"(

In conclusion I think the government of the United States is a mix of elite, interest groups and common people who made it. I don't think the elite theory best explains our government because of the mix of people. Even if the elite as a majority controls the power, they are still going to look out for what's best for our country. Think of our alternatives to our form of government now. We could become communist were everyone has the same say in government. I bet the American people would love that. As of right now the government works pretty well. It is the best government in the world. If it isn't broke don't fix it. Even if the working man doesn't have as much control over policy as the elite does, it may be better this way. The working man doesn't have the time to sit down and ponder public policy. He is to busy trying to feed his family. A person who is an elite has the time to sit down and think about public policy. This will lead to better decisions and people will be better off in the end.

The Elite have to have a way to gain access to the political system. This can be done through the jobs of high standing that these people occupy. Their power can be used to influence the common man by way of his job. This is also done by campaign contributions. There are no limits on the amount of money you can give to a political party. "Business and government have become more closely and explicitly connected; neither can now be seen clearly as a distinct world. Under American conditions the growth of executive government does not mean merely the 'enlargement of government' has some kind of autonom

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1084
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History