What are the differences between democratic and totalitarian political systems? What does current research suggest about the spread of democracy and totalitarianism in the world?
Answer: Democracy basically involves wide participation by citizens in a decision-making process. As the text notes, Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, saw democracy as a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." Practically speaking, a democracy is a political system that endorses the rule of law and grants the voting citizenry the power to alter the laws and structures of government, to make all decisions (either directly or through representatives), and to participate in elections that express their decisions. These are the principles and practices that enable a democracy to institutionalize political freedoms and civil liberties. As a result, democracy is typically represented by a high level of civil liberties, such as freedom of opinion, expression, and the press.
In a totalitarian system, a single agent—whether an individual, group, or party—monopolizes political power and tries to mobilize the population toward two ends: unquestioning support for the official state ideology and opposition to activities that run counter to the goals of the state. The ideological standards of totalitarianism require agents of the government to eliminate dissent within the system. In dramatic contrast to the democratic ideal of freedom, totalitarianism enforces restrictions that subordinate the day-to-day life of people—including occupation, income, personal interests, religion, and even family structure—to the interests of the state through the use of persecution, surveillance, propaganda, censorship, and violence. Consequently, there is little to no political freedom and few, if any, civil liberties.
Current research suggests that there is a slowing momentum of democracy in the world. Trends throughout the world also signal a surge in authoritarianism especially in the Middle East and the former Soviet Union.