C1 - UK Politics: Democracy And Participation

Question 1

What is democracy?

Answer 1

Democracy refers to the political systems in which the people are involved in decision-making in some way, either directly or indirectly

Question 2

What is a direct democracy?

Answer 2

A democracy in which:
- individuals express their opinions themselves
- public meetings take place where the whole population takes part
- no representatives are elected
- everyone has a vote and can contribute

Question 3

What is a representative democracy?

Answer 3

An indirect form of democracy that:
- allows people to choose a representative to advocate and act on the public’s behalf through regular election
- they exercise their own judgement and are held accountable to those that have voted them in
- citizens pass their authority to their representatives
- elections for representatives are free and fair

Question 4

What are the advantages of direct democracy?

Answer 4

• fair - it gives equal weight to all votes, unlike a representative system where the varying constituency sizes cannot allow that
• encourages responsibility and participation because citizens would be expected to take their duties seriously
• removes the need for trusted representatives because everyone takes responsibility for their own decision
• develops a sense of community and encourages debate