Malcolm Rivera
Democracy, or rule by the people, is a political system in which citizens have a share of power and can hold their sovereign accountable to the international laws of other governments. While the term was coined by the Ancient Greeks of Athens, who are often regarded as the founders of Western civilisation, the United States is the oldest democracy in the world by most measures. The US Constitution, ratified in 1788, is the oldest single governing document still in use. However, this does not mean that the US has been democratic for all of its citizens from the beginning, and the title of oldest continuous democracy is more hotly contested.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Current Constitution | 17th of May 1814 |
| Official Form of Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Current Leader(s) (as of 2021) | King Harald V and Prime Minister Erna Solberg |
| Legislature | Folketinget |
| Democracy Status | One of the oldest democracies in the world |
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What You'll Learn
The US is the oldest democracy
The United States is the oldest democracy in the world. The US Constitution, ratified in 1788, is the oldest single governing document still in use. The US Constitution established a democratic form of government and is the basis for the country's claim as the world's oldest democracy.
The term "democracy", meaning "rule by the people", was coined by the ancient Greeks of Athens to describe their city-state's system of self-rule. While Athens is often regarded as the birthplace of democracy, it is not a country in the modern sense, and the Athenian empire fell long ago.
The United States declared its independence from England on July 4, 1776. After a brief period governed by the Articles of Confederation, the founding fathers drafted the US Constitution, establishing the government as it operates today. While the US cannot claim to have been democratic for all its citizens from the beginning, neither can other nations across the globe. The writers of the US Constitution included a process for citizens to amend it over time, allowing for a more inclusive democracy to develop.
The US is the only country with a continuous democracy for more than 200 years, and it has been argued that this is the most important criterion for determining the oldest democracy. While other countries may have older democratic traditions or documents, the US Constitution is the oldest still in use that established a democratic form of government.
While the US is the oldest democracy by this definition, it is important to note that the country's democracy has evolved and changed over time. For example, the right to vote has been expanded to include women and people of all races, and the country has continued to strive toward a more perfect union.
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Ancient Greece is the birthplace of democracy
Democracy is a system of governance in which members of an institution, organisation, or state have a share of power. It is commonly juxtaposed with oligarchic and monarchic systems, which are ruled by a minority and a sole monarch, respectively. Democracy is generally associated with the efforts of the ancient Greeks, whom 18th-century intellectuals such as Montesquieu considered the founders of Western civilisation.
Athens is often regarded as the birthplace of democracy and remains an important reference point for democracy, as evidenced by the etymological roots of the word itself. The word "democracy" comes from two Greek words: "demos," meaning people, and "kratos," meaning rule. Thus, democracy is the idea that the citizens of a country should play an active role in the government of their country and manage it directly or through elected representatives.
Athenian democracy, which lasted until 322 B.C., is one of the earliest known examples of democracy. It was extremely influential in the Mediterranean region, inspiring similar political systems in other Greek city-states and influencing the ancient Roman Republic. Athenian democracy was direct, meaning that decisions were made by the assembled people, and the people controlled the entire political process through the assembly, boule, and courts of law. All adult male citizens were required to take an active part in the government; if they did not, they would be fined or even marked with red paint. Each year, 500 names were chosen from all the citizens of ancient Athens, and those 500 citizens had to serve in the government for one year, during which they were responsible for making new laws. When a new law was proposed, all the citizens of Athens had the opportunity to vote on it.
However, it is important to note that Athenian democracy had a different definition of "citizens" than modern-day democracies. Only free men were considered citizens in Athens, excluding women, children, and slaves from the political process. While there was some debate about whether women should have political rights, and the playwright Aristophanes even wrote a comedy in 391 B.C. called "Assemblywomen" in which women take over Athens' government, women, children, and slaves never gained the same political rights as men during the time of Athenian democracy.
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Finland: the first modern democracy
Finland is often regarded as the first modern democracy in the world. In 1906, Finland became the first country to implement full modern democratic rights and universal suffrage for all its citizens. Finnish women were the first in the world to have unrestricted rights to vote and run for public office. Finland's constitution also included proportional representation and an open list system.
Finland's history as a democracy is closely tied to its independence from Sweden and Russia. Finland was under Swedish rule until 1809, when it became an autonomous part of the Russian Empire. During this time, Finland developed its own legislative powers, although all bills had to be signed into law by the Russian Emperor. In 1917, Finland declared its independence and became a republic. Finland's current constitution vests power in both the President and the Government, with the President having veto power over parliamentary decisions. The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative branches.
Finland's democratic achievements are all the more impressive considering its small population and homogenous ethnic makeup. The country has three notable historic minorities: the Sámi Indigenous peoples, the Swedish-speaking minority, and the Roma people. Finland's labour agreements are based on collective bargaining, and the country has a highly industrialized mixed economy dominated by the services sector.
Finland consistently ranks highly on global democracy indices. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Finland a "full democracy" in 2022, and the country is in the top 25% globally across every metric of the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) framework. Finland's democratic performance is particularly notable in areas such as freedom of the press and media self-censorship.
While Finland may be the first modern democracy, the concept of democracy itself has ancient roots. Athens is often regarded as the birthplace of democracy, with Athenian democracy characterized by direct participation of citizens in the political process. Modern democracies, however, are distinguished by their citizens' ability to intervene in society and hold their representatives accountable to international laws.
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Democracy after World War II
After World War II, the world was divided into two blocks, each with its own democratic narrative. The United States and the Soviet Union each sought to impose their version of democracy on other nations. The Soviet Union occupied Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries, imposing its brand of democracy. Some Middle Eastern countries were also under Soviet influence, as were Vietnam, North Korea, Indonesia, and China. Cuba was a strong supporter of Soviet democracy.
In contrast, the American presidential system was adopted in Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, and Iran. The United States played a significant role in strengthening democracy in Western Europe, encouraging European nations to unite. The founding of NATO in 1949, a defense agreement between the US and its eleven European allies, aimed to protect the democracies of Western Europe from communist influence.
The end of World War II marked a turning point for democracies worldwide. While many young democracies had reverted to autocracy during the 1930s, the number of democracies began to grow again after the war. This growth continued until the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, which led to a more dramatic increase in the number of democracies globally.
During the 20th century, the number of countries with representative democratic institutions increased significantly. By the beginning of the 21st century, over one-third of the world's nominally independent countries had democratic institutions comparable to those in established democracies. Additionally, about one-sixth of the world's countries had defective democratic institutions that still provided historically high levels of democratic government. Altogether, these democratic and near-democratic countries comprised nearly half of the world's population.
The expansion of democracy after World War II can be attributed to the failure of alternative systems. The defeat of Italy and Germany discredited fascism, while the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990–91 discredited Soviet-style communism. Military dictatorships in Latin America also disappeared during this period due to similar failures. The success of democratic nations in economic, diplomatic, and military terms made their political systems more appealing to other countries.
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Constitutional monarchies
A constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch—typically a king or queen—acts as the head of state within the parameters of a written or unwritten constitution. Political power is shared between the monarch and a constitutionally organized government, such as a parliament. This is in contrast to absolute monarchies, in which the monarch holds all the power.
In most constitutional monarchies, the monarch's political powers are limited, and their duties are mostly ceremonial. The real governmental power is exercised by a parliament or similar legislative body overseen by a prime minister. The monarch may be recognised as the "'symbolic' head of state", and the government may function in the name of the king or queen, but the prime minister actually governs the country. Thus, a constitutional monarch has been described as "a sovereign who reigns but does not rule".
The oldest constitutional monarchy dating back to ancient times was that of the Hittites. According to Herodotus, Demonax created a constitutional monarchy for King Battus III the Lame, of Cyrene, in about 548 BC. In the Kingdom of England, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 furthered the constitutional monarchy, restricted by laws such as the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701, although the first form of a constitution was enacted with the Magna Carta of 1215.
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Frequently asked questions
The United States is the oldest constitutional democracy in the world. The US Constitution, ratified in 1788, is the oldest single governing document in the world.
A democracy is a political system in which members of an institution, organisation, or state have a share of power. Modern democracies are characterised by the ability of their citizens to intervene in society and hold their sovereigns accountable to international laws.
Athens, a city-state of Ancient Greece, is often regarded as the birthplace of democracy. The term "democracy", meaning "rule by the people", was coined by the Greeks of ancient Athens to describe their system of self-rule.
Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands are also old democracies. Denmark and the Netherlands are constitutional monarchies with many democratic practices, while Luxembourg is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. New Zealand is another example of an old democracy, having allowed all women and ethnicities to vote in elections by 1893.
