Chapter 1 Democracy in the Contemporary World

Democracy in Chile During the early 1970s, Chile had a democratically elected government under President Salvador Allende. The government was liberal towards the workers and the poor people of Chile. Various welfare policies were adopted by the government for emancipating the poor such as milk for the children, distribution of land to landless farmers, and restricting the entry of foreign companies. Military Coup of 1973 A military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet. The Presidents house was bombed by the military and Allende died in it. General Augusto Pinochet became the President of Chile and ruled it for the next 17 years. The military government mercilessly killed thousands who supported Allende. Restoration of Democracy in Chile Military General Pinochets dictatorship came to an end in 1988 after a referendum. The armys role in the Chilean government was eradicated and a democratically elected government was formed. In 2006, Chile got its first women President Michelle Bachelet Democracy in Poland Poland was under the United Workers Party in the 1980s. No other party was allowed to take part in the political process of the country. The state of employment was bad in Poland. The workers could not form their independent trade unions. A strike was organised by the workers of the Lenin shipyard on 14th August 1980 in Gdansk. It was led by Lech Walesa. The main demands of the workers were Right to form trade unions. Release of political prisoners.

 Removal of censorship on press. The government had to concede the demands of the workers and a 21- point agreement called the Gdansk Agreement was signed. Workers, under the leadership of Lech Walesa, formed the first independent trade union of Poland, Solidarity. Solidarity won the 1990 elections and came to power in Poland. Lech Walesa became the President of Poland. Features of Democracy Only the leaders elected by the people can rule the country. Freedom to organize, freedom to protest and freedom of expression are the rights guaranteed to people. Most Important Period in the Expansion of Democracy 1975-2000 is the most important period in the expansion of democracy. It experienced various events like the transition to democracy, challenges facing democracy, military coups that destroyed democracies in various countries and reestablishment of democracy through popular revolts and movements. Many countries of Latin America and erstwhile Soviet Union attained democracy during this period. Democracy at the Global Level Democracy at the global level is practiced through the international institutions established with the consent of various countries. The United Nations Organisation (UNO) was established after the end of the Second World War in 1945 with the objective of promoting international peace and solidarity. The present membership of the UNO stands at 192. Each country has got equal representation in the UNO and decisions are taken by majority votes, thus promoting democratic ideals. UN General Assembly acts as the legislative body of the UNO and comprise of all 192 member nations. UN Security Council is the executive of the UNO and is responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It consists of fifteen member nations. However, only five are permanent members of the Security Council. These five nations namely the U.S., the U.K., France, China and Russia have the veto power of annulling any decision taken collectively by all other members.

 The finances of the UNO are taken care of by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It has 185 nations as its members. UNO represents a democratic system. However, there are certain loopholes that defy the democratic ideals. The rich and the powerful countries have an unfair advantage with respect to the functioning of the UNO. Democracy Promotion Powerful countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom have taken-up the task of promoting democracy at the global level. These powerful countries directly interfere in the matters of non-democratic countries for setting up democracy. Armed attacks on these non-democratic countries have also been used by countries such as the USA. Saddam Husseins rule in Iraq was opposed by countries like Britain and the United States as it was not a democratic regime.

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