The Center
for the Evolution
of Democracy
P.O. Box 1329, Martinez, CA 94553-7329 USA email: contact@cedemocracy.org Fax: 510-845-7847

Ten Critical Issues In Modern Democracy

The Story of Modern Democracy (cont.)

"The creation of representational forms of democracy introduced structural problems that have not been sufficiently recognized in either early or recent constitutions. The 'critical systems' concept helps us to identify precisely which issues must be addressed before further progress in the evolution of democracy can be achieved."

Will Foreman
Creating Democracy In Time
Pensema Publishing Company, 1994.

Websites Related to Critical System Reform

CED advocates the identification of "critical (sub)systems" in the democratic process, then making change in those areas our highest priority. This approach is based on the idea that progressive social development will be constantly eroded by powerful special interests so long as they continue to dominate the critically important, or basic, decision-making processes that form the foundation of civilized society. We have identified the "critical system" of modern, representative democracy as consisting of the above-listed, interdependent processes--presented roughly in order of decreasing centrality.

Only if we achieve progress in reforming each of these mutually reinforcing elements of the nation-state and world system can we expect progress in any one area of democracy to be sustained.

The Story of Modern Democracy (cont.):

is The Emergence of Democracy by Vanhanen(1984). Vanhanen uses minimal but objectively measurable criteria to define democracy: ten per cent voter participation, 30 per cent vote for oppositional parties, and degrees of distribution for wealth and for knowledge. By his criteria, the United States--where only 6 per cent of the adult population voted in the first presidential elections--did not become a

"democracy" until the 1840's. Canada was second, crossing the threshold in the late1860's--after the dominion of Canada was created by the British North America Act of 1867.

Prospects for the future of democracy were significantly improved in 1865 when democratic forces defeated the proponents of slavery in a bloody civil war fought in the United States. This result was Next

Essays and Writing Projects

CED welcomes short essays and written proposals that address the critical problems of modern democracy. We can publish selected comments or brief essays by students, teachers or any independent author. They will be offered to others as starting points--for further research, writing papers, organizing, or for understanding the links between one's personal life and the political process.

Brief essays written for classroom work, as commentary for presentation in local media, or for distribution over the Internet can be more than a personal learning experience for the author: they can also be a genuine contribution to change in the political decision-making process.

The World Wide Web is constantly evolving. If you notice that one of our links no longer exists, or if you would like to suggest new links that would be appropriate for these pages, please notify us. We are also looking for non-English websites that address the same core issues. Please write to us via the email address below or the CED postal address at the top of each of CED page.

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