A superb overview of the development of Western democracy.

There are two points that may be worth considering.

Communication, hence the development of ideas, was extremely slow in the past, not only between different parts of the Globe, but also among people speaking the same language. The media, as we know it, did not exist.

Similarly, travel was slow. Even the privileged elite took weeks, and even years, to reach other parts of their known world.

Another point we ought to remember is that the nascent radio and film industry (as well as the papers) came under strict state control during the Nazi government in Germany, and during the communist rule in what was the USSR. (With disastrous consequencies.)

Now we appear to have swung the other way. With notable exceptions, the written media is replete with sensationalism, - described as the "gutter press" in the UK. Television (again with notable exceptions)is packed with banalities.

It could be that it is through the new media - the internet - where quality ideas, such as Ellen Goodman's, will predominate.

Horus,

"Three centuries ago the trend was for power to move from the few to the many but now it has reversed."

Power has never been in the hands of the many, absolutely. In the US, it is an Electoral College, whom elects their president. In modern history, individualist democracy came the thoughts of eighteenth thinkers.

I think a Bill of Rights is important because it holds both parliament and judicial parties to a standard to protect the People.
Herein, the People mediate. Military and convert forces are also necessary, to protect us, because we do live a dangerous world, as history clearly indicates.

When someone talk about the West culture or democracy, he should not foget the important parts such as the dark of Medieval Ages, genocide in colonization and two World War etc.

Even the current Iraq War can be treated as a example of pro democracy, that's why USA, founder of international Human Right Organization, lost its membership by democratic election in UN.

The greedy characteristic of the West, decides what West least considered at the international level is democracy.

It would be much easier to assess views such as the one expressed by Centra if they were ever levelled at other countries.

Review of its Mission, Operations, and Structure
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick (1926-2006)
TESTIMONY
Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights
Publication: June 6, 2001

As almost everyone now knows, the United States, which had been a founding member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights from its founding in 1947, was not re-elected to the Commission and so will not be eligible to participate in its activities for the coming year.

But virtually all the dictatorships in the world will be participating in the Human Rights Commission next year doing the sort of things that dictatorships do – repressing others, jailing them, denying them free speech, press and assembly and trying to bar from taking part in Commission activities those NGOs which are most active in promoting free speech, press and assembly, personal security and rule of law. Charges have been brought against Freedom House, whose annual survey of freedom in the world is greatly resented by China among other tyrannies who with support of Cuba and Sudan brought the charges against Freedom House and the Christian Solidarity International, a U.S. Protestant group.

An accrediting committee of 19 "like-minded" will consider the charges against Freedom House. They will seek to revise the rules on accreditation to the Commission making it IMPOSSIBLE for victims of repression to speak to the Human Rights Commission and to circulate "politically motivated material" describing their treatment.

In the Human Rights Commission today, accredited NGOs can invite persons of their choosing, including victims of human rights’ abuse, to speak at the forums, a right granted by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). China would like to put an end to these procedures.

China has insisted their "national sovereignty" be respected. "They must neither abuse their consultative stakes, nor act against the principles and purposes of the U.N. Charter."

China has also tried to have the United Nations and the canton of Geneva ban demonstrations by the Falun Gong outside the U.N. Headquarters.

centra,

Please name a country/state which is not a Western style-democracy in which there are similar checks and balances on power and in which there is a truly independent court which would protect your rights against state action.