Communism vs Democracy
Communism vs Democracy Communism is an original system of society, quite different from Democracy in many ways. While total democracy is not widely spread, many forms of it are prosperous throughout the world today. One of the first and major differences between a Communist and Democratic government is their contrary economic systems. In a communist government, the community owns the major resources and means of production. The goal of such a system is to prevent any one person or group of people from becoming radically rich, while others are extremely poor. The system attempts to eliminate lower class by balancing the wealth between rich and poor, therefore giving everyone equal pay and ownership. Unfortunately, this results in an increased lower class. However, in a Democracy, free enterprising is permitted, and smiled upon. ? Here, free enterprising helps the economy to flourish. People can organize their own businesses and receive their own profits if it succeeds, or debts if it fails. In this system, the harder a person works, the more money they receive, allowing them to 'make ends meet.' The downside to democracy is that people can get a high paying job through education, but may work just as hard at a lower paying job and receive less money. As Winston Churchill once said, "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of
Do pressure groups strengthen or weaken democracy?
Do pressure groups strengthen or weaken democracy? From animal rights to women's right, not t5o mention trade unions there are hundreds of pressure groups operating in today's society. They work in different way to influence government policy and are subject to few controls so do they undermine or support democratic government? Freedom of association in a fundamental principle of a liberal democracy, therefore, it could be deemed that pressure groups must be supporting democratic government as they are upholding people's rights. It can be argued that, as elections are a legitimate process allowing society's participation pressure groups are unnecessary, however opportunities for involvement are no more than every five years so pressure groups provide a vital opportunity for participation and access to thaw political system between elections thereby enhancing the quality of democracy. Pressure groups can provide representation and remedy shortcomings in the representative government, they articulate interests and advance views that are ignored by parties and so in particular can provide a voice for minority groups and issues. They promote debate and discussion enabling new concerns and issues to reach the political agenda thereby facilitating social progress and preventing social stagnation. Consultation with affected groups is surely a rational way to make decisions in
Pressure Groups.
PRESSURE GROUPS What is a pressure group? A pressure is an organisation that does not put up candidates for election, but tries to influence government policy or legislation. For example, in March 1998 around 300,000 people went to London to protest about the Labour government's rural policies for example the Countryside March - the government reacted by announcing plans for a Ministry of Rural Affairs and by publishing a white paper investigating all aspects of rural life. Pressure groups also provide a means of participation in local politics between elections. They can also be described as interest groups, lobby groups or protest groups. A pressure group can be a large organisation like the CBI (Confederation of British Industry), which represents 150,000 businesses, and it can also be a smaller scale pressure group like CLARA (Central Area Leamington Resident's Association), which represents less than 300 households campaigning to improve Leamington Spa. There are quite a number of smaller pressure groups which are only set up in order to influence one decision (e.g. a group may be set up in order to protest against a telephone mast being erected). The aim of all pressure groups is to influence the people who actually have the power to make decisions and they seek to influence the decisions made by those who do hold political power. Pressure groups provide a means of
pressure groups
US pressure groups are undemocratic, discuss There are wide ranges of views amongst the pressure groups that operate in the US. Many tend to hold firm beliefs that they are somewhat effective in disabling political dominance of all three branches of government. Others however, see them as adding to the splintering and atomisation of US society, employing different techniques that make them largely undemocratic. Firstly, to begin, many argue that pressure groups are inherently undemocratic, due to the revolving door syndrome. This is the terms used for when pressure groups work through professional lobbyists who are former member's of congress or former congressional staff members. Critics argue that such methods employed by pressure groups constitute an abuse of public service. People exploit knowledge and contacts with branches of government, all just to represents their own interests as well as making substantial sums of money. Politicians may walk out of the political door perhaps due loss in an election and emerge back the political world as a Washington lobbyist. For example, former Ohio senator Howard Metzenbaum followed a career of 18 years in congress by becoming chairman of the consumer federation of America. Consequently, this potential method of pressure groups seems to some, as adding to the hindrance of democracy in the US. In spite of this, many claim that
Pressure Groups
Distinguish between insider and outsider pressure groups An "insider pressure group" is one literally inside the policy making circle and thus generally has more political clout due to their relations with those who have the ability to act within parliament on the pressure groups behalf. An example of this is the NFU (national farmers union) who as an insider group have to, by law, be consulted before any bill is passed regarding agriculture. An outsider group is the opposite, and as its name suggests is "outside" the policy making circle. Most pressure groups fall into this category, and as a result of not being in a direct position to influence government policy, have to advertise their cause with other methods, such as demonstrations and TV campaigns. An example of an outside group would be PlaneStupid, a relatively small environmentalist group opposed to further aviation expansion in the UK. They are most famed for their opposition to the new runway at Heathrow airport. What methods do pressure groups employ to influence the political process? The two main tactics for pressure groups in trying to influence the political process are "direct" and "indirect" methods. Direct methods are as they sound, a more "direct" and up-front, if sometimes controversial, way of achieving the pressure groups aims. These range from lobbying key policy makers (both at home at
In What Ways Do Pressure Groups Influence The Government? Consequently, Do Pressure Groups Strengthen Or Weaken Democracy?
In What Ways Do Pressure Groups Influence The Government? Consequently, Do Pressure Groups Strengthen Or Weaken Democracy? Britain is often referred to as a homogenous society as the public tend to share similar political views. However, more recently, there has been a decline in membership to political parties and an increase in the membership of pressure groups. In this essay I will define pressure groups, information surrounding such as the amount of power they have and how effectively they can influence institutions of power. A pressure group is an organised group which has as one of its principal purposes the exercise of influence on institutions (mainly political) in order to secure decisions favourable to the interests the group represents or to discourage decisions from being taken which would be unfavourable to those interests. Pressure groups also are slightly more complex and have many different forms, statuses (within society) and amount of influence. Pressure groups are divided into the following sub-groups: Causal (or promotional) groups, Sectional (or Protection) groups and also how close they are to the government known as either Insider or Outsider groups. Causal groups are involved with a particular issue or issues and serve this cause by promoting it. These groups vary in size and aims and can be permanent (such as friends of the earth) who
Do pressure groups help democracy or undermine it?
Do pressure groups help democracy or undermine it? There are many different types of pressure groups with different issues that they believe in and fight for. There is no direct answer to this question because I feel as though that there are pressure groups that help democracy and there are pressure groups that undermine it. The way in which pressure groups help democracy is by providing vital information for the government and information that they could use for making decisions about a particular issue that the pressure group has brought forward. This information provided to the government by the pressure groups is important because the government does not have the resources or the capabilities to go and do research about every issue that people have. Another way in which pressure groups help democracy is that they scrutinize the government and make them accountable for the decisions that they make. They can probably scrutinize the government better then the opposition because the pressure group have many people and can use different legal methods to make the government accountable for what they do so that the people have a chance to see what the government is actually doing. Pressure groups also allow people to participate in politics so they are good for political participation. People may not want to join any particular party because they disagree with the policies
The wealthier and the closer the pressure group is to the government, the more successful they are." a) How far do you agree? (25 marks) b) What does this tell us about pressure groups and democracy in Britain today
The wealthier and the closer the pressure group is to the government, the more successful the pressure group will be. a) How far do you agree? (25 marks) b) What does this tell us about pressure groups and democracy in Britain today? To an extent, it is clear that the wealth of pressure group is a key factor in determining how successful they are likely to become. Ultimately, a pressure group consists of a group of people, who possess a common aim to influence government policy however; they do not seek to win power through elections. Pressure groups are often grouped into two categories, which are 'insider and 'outsider' groups. Insider groups are provided with regular and privileged access to government when policies are made, whereas outsider groups do not possess links to the government and their advice is not required in any shape. Wealth is generally associated with 'insider' groups, as they are often the groups who are able to financially enhance a political party, which is enough motivation for the government to maintain their support for the respective pressure group. The impact on democracy is often cause for debate. It appears that insider groups promote a sense of elitism, as the wealth of a pressure group often determines whether it is classified as 'insider' or 'outsider' pressure group. The implications of this on democracy is that it is suggested
Examples, methods and the effects on democracy of pressure groups.
3A Using examples ,distinguish between sectional and promotional pressure groups Sectional pressure groups only want to represent a single section of society,and members of these groups are directly involved in and concerned with the outcome, normally to do with economical or professional benefits i.e. the NUT or the British Medical Association. Membership of a sectional pressure group is normally restricted to people directly influenced by it ie the NUT having teachers. Promotional pressure groups (cause groups) on the other hand like CND or Greenpeace are interested in promoting a cause, and not necessarily for their own financial gain. 3B Explain methods pressure groups use to influence government There are several ways in which pressure groups influence the government, some take it as far as direct actions, which could at times be illegal, but it shows that the groups is willing to go very far for what they believe in.Other stick to simple things like emailing influencial people and creating or commenting on policy related websites. Lobbying is a form of direct contact quite often used between a representative and an elected councillor or someone with a strong political standing, to persuade them to vote on a particular issue or to ask them questions to further inform their groups. Letter writing campaigns are used to give an idea of how many people are supporting the
Are pressure groups good or bad for democracy? Harmful or Helpful?
Are pressure groups good or bad for democracy? Harmful or Helpful? GOOD a) Pluralism Robert Dahl in "Who governs?" - examined decision-making in New Haven, Connecticut. Conclusion was that no elite group ran the town - on different issues, different groups were dominant. For pluralists pressure groups help the govt. to operate, their pressure is a reflection of public opinion and is vital to democracy providing a healthy 'free market' of opinion and influences. There are many access points, and freedom of speech and association are entrenched in the constitution. Ed Davis (California State Senator) - "About 90% of all legislation is conceived by special interests. That's what democracy is all about". Examples of pressure group activity helping democracy include Brown v. Board of Education which transformed the South, Rose v. Wade, legalised abortion. Also Lawrence v. Texas which meant that laws which discriminated against gays were declared unconstitutional and, in 2004, gay marriage was permitted in Massachusetts. Both of these changes were the result of intense pressure group activity (and to some extent counteract the view that minority voices aren't heard because of 'the elite'). b) They express view and interests of different groups in society that cut across state boundaries (unlike parties who must have a broad appeal to their constituents) i.e. they provide