Discuss the role of political parties in contemporary democracies Essay

Discuss the role of political parties in contemporary democracies. Assess whether parties have retained their position or are in - Essay Example In this manner citizens have a scope of exercising their ultimate control over the government (Rush 1998). Nature of Democracy The concept of social democracy, as manifested through a social state can be attributed to Tocqueville who was very impressed by the prevailing equality of status, manners, and customs in American society when he visited that country in 1831. He felt the essence of democracy has effectively permeated every strata of American society. This view was also echoed by Bryce who was completely overwhelmed by the egalitarian ethos of American society and felt it represented true democratic setup where each citizen felt they are on equal footing with each other fellow citizen (Bryce 1959). This feeling of equality is the lifeblood of a democratic society where democracy is more a way of life and a part of national psyche. Thus, it might be said that social democracy is an essential prerequisite for political democracy to strike firm roots in a country (Holden 1974). A s a political dispensation, democracy has to channelize and concentrate the wills of millions of citizens through some framework to the hands of the ruling few. This in a sense possibly violates basic democracy that is observed in small integrated communities. But between one-on-one democracy observed in such miniature closely knit groups and large scale democracies, there is a huge gap and it took entire humankind more than two millenniums to partially bridge that gap (Powell 1982). It must be remembered that democracy undergoes a metamorphosis as it traverses the hiatus between the micro and macro and it would be rather unfair to expect all the characteristics of micro democracies to be equally manifested in macro democracies. We can, however, conclude that macro democracies, though far from perfect, are nonetheless target oriented experiments and are not random potshots in the dark or conceived by a one or a small group of individuals who consider them to be more concerned and mo re informed than others (Sartori 1987). The whole issue about relevance of political parties in a democratic dispensation can however be judged with respect to several contexts as these happen to differ widely in their nature and content. Does ascent of O’Donnell signify descent of Republican Party? A case that might be investigated is that of the ascent of Christian O’Donnell. The ascendance of a relative outsider in the conservative echelons of American politics and the gradual emergence of tea party activists who were politically insignificant earlier brings to mind whether conventional political parties are on their way out and also whether American democracy has transcended the well established bounds of an essentially two party democracy. Christine O’Donnell is a vociferous campaigner of what she perceives as Christian moral values and is not known to have any well defined economic or political agenda. Yet such people are not only winning primaries by defe ating established politicians but also getting substantial approval from electorate as is apparent when she could garner nearly 40% of the votes polled. That she eventually lost the election is not that important as the

Comparison between Spain and the UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparison between Spain and the UAE - Essay Example A further similarity is the type of ethnic music that is enjoyed by both cultures. When one thinks of Spanish music they of course immediately identify with the guitar (Kuehl-White 2012 p. 51). However, unbeknownst to most, the classical guitar is also a mainstay of Arabic music as exhibited within the UAE and other Arabic cultures as well. In this way, although the musical styles may be quite different and the theory and stylistic differences of the chords wholly dissimilar, the fact of the matter is that both cultures employ the same musical instrument to affect music within their own countries. Similarly, when one considers the issue of art in both Spain and within the UAE, key similarities can also be noted. Again, this is partly due to the fact that the Moorish influence in Spain had a profound effect on the understanding and application of art both during and long after the Moorish Empire ultimately withdrew from Iberia.Likewise, a key cultural difference between Spain and the UAE is that of the religious systems that have for so long defined their populations and culture. In Spain, the Catholic Church has dominated the political and cultural process since a few hundred years after the death of Christ. Similarly, the UAE has been predominately Muslim since only a few years after the death of Mohammed. Likewise, another primary cultural difference relates to the fact that Spain has been primarily influenced by European culture and the UAE has been primarily focused on Arabian culture.... A further similarity is the type of ethnic music that is enjoyed by both cultures. When one thinks of Spanish music they of course immediately identify with the guitar (Kuehl-White 2012 p. 51). However, unbeknownst to most, the classical guitar is also a mainstay of Arabic music as exhibited within the UAE and other Arabic cultures as well. In this way, although the musical styles may be quite different and the theory and stylistic differences of the chords wholly dissimilar, the fact of the matter is that both cultures employ the same musical instrument to effect music within their own countries. Similarly, when one considers the issue of art in both Spain and within the UAE, key similarities can also be noted. Again, this is partly due to the fact that the Moorish influence in Spain had a profound effect on the understanding and application of art both during and long after the Moorish Empire ultimately withdrew from Iberia. Likewise, a key cultural difference between Spain and the UAE is that of the religious systems that have for so long defined their populations and culture. In Spain, the Catholic Church has dominated the political and cultural process since a few hundred years after the death of Christ. Similarly, the UAE has been predominately Muslim since only a few years after the death of Mohammed. In this way, the key cultural religious difference between the two cultures is evidenced. Likewise, another primary cultural difference relates to the fact that Spain has been primarily influenced by European culture and the UAE has been primarily focused by Arabian culture. These two factors help to explain to a large degree the broader cultural differences that have thus far been exhibited within this brief essay. This cultural influence is of course