Regardless of the comparison of the democracy system with the political system of Islam, the democracy system compared to all other political systems such as absolute and autocratic monarchies, autocratic and dictatorial regimes, communist and socialist fascist governments that mankind has ever experienced, honestly, the democratic system is superior to them, or it has fewer corruptions and anomalies. Proponents of democracy have listed many advantages and merits for this type of government, which are mentioned in the following lines:
1. Education of citizens; “Alexi de Tocqueville”, a famous French thinker, emphasized that one of the most important advantages of democracy is that it works as an educational school for citizens. Democracy secures the right to vote and the right to protest the elections and teaches citizens the correct exercise of the right to vote and protest the elections. No other form of government provides such an opportunity. Getel wrote: “The most important advantage of any form of government is to strengthen the virtue and intelligence of the people themselves, and the first consideration in judging the merits and merits of a certain form of government is to what extent it wants to cultivate and improve the intellectual and moral qualities of citizens.”
2. Government efficiency; One of the most important criteria for the strength or weakness of a particular form of government is its efficiency. The efficiency of the government can be measured by its behavior in normal and emergency or crisis situations. They have rightly said that public elections, public control and public responsibility guarantee the effectiveness of democracy more than other government systems. The government itself brings the masses to discipline; It creates a sense of responsibility in them and turns them into self-sacrificing citizens.
3. Securing individual freedoms; Democracy is the only form of government that provides individual freedoms and guarantees the rights of citizens through the constitution. John Stuart Mill supported democracy for this reason. Freedom of opinion and freedom of the press and the right to hold assemblies are some of the important and guaranteed civil rights of people in a democratic system. Democracy recognizes the individual as valuable and assures him that he will have the opportunity to participate in the development of the society. According to Lowell, in a perfect democracy, no one will complain that his words are not heard. According to Herrinshaw, democracy connects a nerve string to each person and creates a connection between him and the center, and everyone’s opinions are taken into account.
4. Ensuring equality; Democracy demands equality in both economic and political fields and accepts the right to vote, the right to protest the elections, and the right to reach public officials without any discrimination based on color, skin, religion, or gender. He does not like special privileges. In the economic field, it provides equality of opportunities and economic security for the masses. In a real democracy, everyone has the minimum necessities of life and social security.
5. Education of the masses; Democracy really has a wide experience in public education. Election campaign is actually a political education. In general elections or any other type of election, public issues are discussed by various candidates and their votes. In the gatherings that are formed, leaflets are widely distributed and the policies and programs of various parties are explained. In this way, the general public is informed about the policy of the group or party in question. Then they vote for any candidate or party, which means they are satisfied with their work policy. This kind of awareness and participation raises people’s intellectual level and empowers citizens to understand the country’s issues. According to Burns, all governments are a way of education, but the best education is self-education; Therefore, the best government is self-government, which is democracy.
In short, the believers of democracy say:
1. Democracy is the wisest type of government.
2. Democracy minimizes political corruption.
3. Democracy is the fairest government system.
4. Democracy is a conciliatory solution to disputes.
5. Democracy increases national loyalty and commitment and reduces extreme ethnicism.
6. Democracy is the most stable type of government.
10. Democracy is the best foundation for scientific management.
11. Democracy leads to meritocracy.
In the following notes, the disadvantages and criticism of democracy will be discussed from the Viewpoint of old and new western scientists. Allah willing
