Does democracy create stability in society? ( SS version)

Before we can begin the essay proper, we first have to define stability and democracy. Stability in society can be defined as a society with the ability to resist sudden negative change in all aspects, be it economically or otherwise. Democracy can be split into 2 sub-groups: Representative democracy and pure democracy. Representative democracy is practiced in Singapore, where the public elects MPs to represent them in parliament. Pure democracy is practiced in the US, where elections are usually contested between Democrats and Republicans. Democracy is the most widely used form of governance as people believe that their interests are being looked after by the government.

Democracy is effective as the government is more accountable to the people. Just the process of picking a government would be less chaotic using democracy, as it would mean that the government elected represents the wishes of the majority. This would also mean less opposition, and as such lead to a more stable society. People would also elect the government they believe will look after their rights, and thus the government would be accountable to the people and less inclined to act rashly. For example, in the case of the United States, decisions are made based on what is assumed to be the interests of the majority. As a democracy is based around the consent of the governed, revolts are less likely and thus lead to increased stability.

However, democracy does have its own weaknesses. As decisions are made on majority rule, this conversely means that the minority might be overlooked. The minority might feel oppressed and have an uprising, which would lead to instability. Also, a major problem with democracy is that it is assumed that the majority is always right. This has had sever repercussions in the past, such as in WWII, with Hitler’s persecution of Jews and others. He had been legally elected into power, but he abused it. Thus we can tell that democracy is dangerous is not used properly.

Democracy is one of the more liberal forms of governance, as it allows people a say in the running of their country. This is based on the assumption that people are mature enough and educated enough to make mature decisions. How far democracy will work depends on the public. Democracy is widely used as there are certain conditions being fulfilled, namely a small high-low class range and a high literacy rate. Thus democracy will only take us as far as most developed countries, but might not do as well in developing countries such as those in Africa, where the wealth is not evenly spread out.
In my opinion, democracy on its own will not help to cause stability or instability in society, but rather, this depends on the society itself, as democracy is merely a tool. I feel that a high literacy rate is thus needed in societies considering democracy so as to allow voters to carry out informed voting. However, using the scale of time, I do feel that democracy is feasible in the long run, as it ensures that the people have a say in the government.