MP 1.4 Democratization This Learning Unit will take 10 minutes to complete Date: Version: Democratization Millennium Project All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Table of contents Learning Outcomes Setting the scene Step-by-step concept Revisiting the scenario More examples Applying this concept in the classroom: Competent and Advanced levels Expert level: Thought experiments Reflections Confidence testing References & Media credits All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Learning Outcomes This unit is designed to expose you to the challenge of DEMOCRATISATION. You will learn about issues that are related to democracies emerging from authoritarian regimes and discover what implications democratisation has for the world. You will then develop an understanding of various solutions offered by experts for this problem. An understanding will be achieved to finding and applying practical solutions for you, and your community’s everyday life, to spread the principles of democracy. By the end of this unit, you would have learnt how to: All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Setting the scene A country just experienced a non-violent revolution. The authoritarian regime was removed from office and a temporary government was put into place. The government had already written a constitution, several pieces of legal reform, and was conducting party elections. Yet some observers said that the government was not yet a genuine democracy. What can the government do to make an effective transition into a fully democratic state? The country has made significant progress towards becoming a democratic society. It had a relatively non violet revolution and was able to establish a temporary government to ease the process. The government already laid down the framework for a democratic government. However, there are still steps required for the government to make the transition into a fully democratic state. All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Step-by-step concept For the first time in history, more people now live in democracies than dictatorships. Humanitarian crises such as genocide, human rights abuses, and civil war are much more likely to occur in dictatorships. On the other hand, democratic countries are relatively civil, which means that a global trend towards democracy will lead to a more peaceful future. However, the transition from an authoritarian regime to a democracy ,is not a smooth process. Often times, revolutions can create unprecedented violence and increase social discord which slows the process of reconciliation between opposing sides. Sometimes, a revolution will merely result in another organisation ruling the country, such as the military. Just because a society implements changes like multi-party elections, free press, written constitutions, and legal reforms does not mean that a genuine democracy with citizen responsibilities will occur. In addition, there has been a disturbing trend in the ability to manipulate information, which makes freedom of choice difficult. A genuine democracy can only occur if people get the government to be accountable to them, not an external organisation. All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Step-by-step concept It’s important to note that no two democracies in the world are exactly alike. Different areas in the world will have require different democratic systems depending on their specific needs. In order for a democracy to emerge from an authoritarian regime, a preferably non-violent revolution is required to remove the ruling parties from power. After the revolution, it will be a long and arduous process for a country to transition into a genuine democratic society. Here are some steps that countries who have recently experienced revolutions, need to take to transition into a genuine democracy. 1. Increase the transparency and accountability of the voting process. 2. Create initiatives that focus on removing corruption among representatives and those in power. 3. Allow media access and U.N. inspectors to carefully observe your electoral process and detect any signs of rigged elections. 4. Anticipate problems that may occur from the transition to a democracy rather than waiting to see what happens. Here are some steps that the world as a whole can take to help countries make a smooth transition to democracy. 1. Conduct international discussions regarding strategies in the areas of human rights, rule of law, free press, and more. 2. Create a global partnership between high income countries and those with less wealth All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Step-by-step concept It may seem almost impossible for democracy to emerge from a brutal authoritarian regime. Sometimes, civilians will feel helpless, powerless, and unable to express themselves in a regime that has little to no democracy. It seems as though only bloody and violent revolutions are the answer, but that is not the case. Here are small steps that you can take as an individual when you want to learn more about democracy or are interested in spreading democratic principles in your country. 1. Education. It is important to educate people about what democratic values are and what they will gain by living in a democracy. 2. Volunteering. Make some time to work with your community and meet new people. 3. Optimism. You should be optimistic about achieving democratic values. 4. Love. You should tolerate those who have different political views and not hate them. 5. Unity. You should be able to unite people from different backgrounds and ages towards a shared goal. 6. Trust. You should gain the trust of others so that they will share your beliefs about democracy. 7 Integrity. You should not lie to people. Representatives lying is probably why they want change in the first place. 8. Non-violence. Your ideas are strong, so violence is not needed when spreading democratic principles. All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Revisiting the scenario A country in the Middle East just experienced a relatively non-violent revolution. The authoritarian regime was removed from office and a temporary government was put into place. The government had already written a constitution, several pieces of legal reform, and was conducting party elections. Yet some observers said that the government was not yet a genuine democracy. What can the government do to make an effective transition into a fully democratic state? There are several necessary steps the temporary governments needs to institute before the country can make the transition into a fully democratic state. The government needs to have a transparent voting process that is free from corruption. The United Nations should be allowed to assist the government in monitoring and conducting elections. The media should have free access to the elections as well. The government needs to create initiatives focused on removing corruption. The government also needs to anticipate and solve problems that may occur rather than waiting for conflict to arise. All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

More examples A country in Eastern Europe just experienced an incredibly violent revolution. There was much disagreement among the rebels as to which party which be in charge of the country. A United Nations task force intervened and set up a temporary government with emergency powers. The U.N. held talks with the rebels, until they finally agreed to hold multi-party elections. The election was carefully monitored and overseen. A president and a legislative body were elected to form the first democratic body the country had in history. All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Applying this concept in the classroom Competent Form teams of ten students each. Each student will pretend that they are running to be the president or prime minister of their country. Each team member will make a one minute speech telling the rest of the team why they should be elected. The speaker should say why they would make a good team leader. Afterwards, the team will have an anonymous election, where each team member will write down who they vote for on a piece of a paper. The person with the most votes will win. If there is a tie, they will share the leadership. Advanced Form teams of four students each. The students will choose of the topic of rules they have to follow in school. Each team member will spend three minutes thinking about what they are allowed to do in school and how they can express themselves. Afterwards, the team will have a discussion of the various ways students can express themselves at school. They should also mention whether they have to follow certain rules and whether there are school elections for student candidates. All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Expert level: Thought experiments The vast majority of countries in the world were not founded as democratic societies. Many countries had previous forms of governments such as monarchies, oligopolies, and regimes. Eventually, a revolution of some sort occurred, and the country transitioned into a different form of government, perhaps one with more freedom. Does your country have a genuine democratic government, something similar, or completely different? How can you determine this? How do you play a role in your country’s democratic processes? Your teacher has given you an assignment. Pair up with a classmate to form a team. Each team should have two students. Spend four minutes thinking about your country’s history. Make note of different systems of government that have occurred and any past revolutions. Then think about what type of government your country currently has, and whether it is similar to a democracy. Afterwards, have a seven to eight minute discussion with your teammate about how similar your government is to a democratic government. Then discuss ways in which you can spread democratic principles within your community. All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Reflections Competent level As you go about your life, think about the different ways people can express themselves. Are people in your country allowed to say their opinions in public? Are people allowed to protest about an issue? Do most people seem to avoid talking about their government in public? Advanced level The next time you are reading a newspaper or a news website, find an article about an election that recently occurred. Which candidate or party won the election, and by how much? Does the article detail the election process that occurred or what the issues were? Do any aspects of the election seem confusing or suspicious to you? Expert level Recall the last time that you were involved in an election of any kind. Ask yourself what the issues were, as well as who was running. Did the election process seem clear and organized? Or did it seem confusing and potentially biased in favor of a candidate? All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Confidence testing What is a genuine democracy? When a government is accountable to an external organization. [False. A government needs to be accountable to a different group.] When a government is accountable to its citizens. [True. A true democracy is when the government is held accountable by its citizens. ]* When a government is controlled by the military. [False. If the government is controlled by the military, it is not a democracy. ] None of the above. [False. One of the above answers explains what a genuine democracy is.] What is one step a country could take to transition into a genuine democracy? Increase their tariffs on other country’s products. [False. Tariffs is an economic policy, not one directly related to democracy.] Allow people to express their feelings. [False. This is important, but there is a more specific step in mind.] Create a powerful military force that rivals none. [False. Creating a powerful military force does not make a country democratic.] Create initiatives that focus on removing corruption among those in power. [True. By removing corruption, you are ensuring that representatives can be voted through a fair and democratic process. ]* What problems can occur with revolutions aimed to overthrow authoritarian regimes? They can be incredibly violent and result in many deaths. [False. There is more than one right answer.] They may overthrow the regime, but then another organization like the military could take control. [False. There is more than one right answer.] They increase social discord and conflicts between citizens.[False. There is more than one right answer.] All of the above. [True. All of the above are problems that can occur with revolutions.]* All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

Confidence testing Which is not a step you can take as an individual to spread the principles of democracy? Educate people about democratic values. [False. Education is an important step necessary to spread the principles of democracy.] Hold a rally to unite people from different backgrounds toward the cause of democracy.[False. Uniting people from different backgrounds is key to democratization.] Hold a non-violent protest supporting the principles of democracy. [False. Violence is not needed to spread democratic principles. ] Hold a public debate about democracy, but harshly criticize other people’s opinions. [True. You need to be tolerant of others views to spread the principles of democracy.] Is the transition from an authoritarian regime to a democracy an easy process? Yes, there are only a few fundamental steps a country needs for democratization. [False. It is not a matter of following a few simple steps to become a democratic state.] No, it is a long and arduous process marked by social discord and sometimes violence. [True. It is a difficult process that can take years for a country to experience democratization.]* Yes, because a democracy is a natural form of government. [False. Democracy is not necessarily something that comes naturally to people.] No, because democracy is an ineffective form of government. [False. Most countries that live under democracies have less conflict and strife than regimes and dictatorships.] How can information be manipulated in an authoritarian regime? The elections can be rigged so that there is only one winner for a position. [False. There is more than one right answer.] The media can be controlled by the regime. [False. There is more than one right answer.] Information on the Internet can be censored or changed. [False. There is more than one right answer.] All of the above. [True. All of the above are ways that information can be manipulated.]* All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.

References & Media credits All rights reserved. Confidential and Proprietary information. The information is only for the use of Millennium Project members, and not to be distributed to anyone outside the Millennium Project membership.