What are some differences between democracy and dictatorship?

Answer 1

There are no governments on earth that are pure democracies. In such a government every single person would share authority and responsibility for government, and everyone would vote on everything. It is easy to see that government would come to a standstill in any nation of more than a few dozen people. Nations that have a democratic element are those where the people have a substantial say, through a system of voting, who is representing them in the government, and where leaders are not governing for life, or because they are strong enough not to be removed from office. There are many nations that have a multi-tiered level of representation, and this is a broadly appealing and usually effective kind of government. The UK, for example, have the general voting population and the House of Commons. There is the House of Lords, and then the reigning monarch. The US Congress along with the president can be seen as roughly analogous.
In a democracy representatives that govern the people are voted in by the people through free and fair elections with multiple parties. A Dictatorship has one authoritarian leader who was probably not elected and probably does not rule in the best interest of the people.

Answer 2

There is many differences between a democracy and a dictatorship. Actually they are antonyms of each other. With democracy they have no leader, but with dictatorship there is a leader. Democracies don't force anything, but dictators force there leadership on the people. They aren't elected, they just barge in and take over. Dictators usually take over during emergency time, where people are OK with that person taking over. They are desperate for a leader, so they say OK he/she will help us with our problem.

Answer 3

There is no reason why a Democracy may not be a dictatorship. It's all about who votes and who gets elected. Plato considered Democracy no different from mob rule, and the worst form of government possible. He lived when the famous Democracy of Athens was utterly dictatorial and had contempt for Athenian law and tradition.

Answer 4

The principal differences between dictatorships and democracies lie in the source of their power. In their most basic forms, the differences are easier to see. The leader of a democracy is supposed to be elected by the populace. This is typically done through ballot elections or parliamentary processes. Dictators are not elected, rather they take control of the government through some other means, whether by military force, an overthrow (coup d'etat) or political alliances. Dictators place themselves at the top of government.

Another difference is the end of the leader's term. In a democracy this is usually predetermined (a United States President, for example, has a 4-year term). Dictators often do not set such limits for themselves, often ruling for life or until they are themselves overthrown. This is the most basic definition of each, however, as the reality is often much less clear. For example those who would fit in our definition of "dictator" may be well-loved by their people (see Fidel Castro) or much hated (Saddam Hussein). It often depends on which segment of society you are looking at.

Although, whether loved or hated, the distinctions between an enforced system and an elected and endable government should be clear in virtually every case.

Answer 5

The difference between a democracy and dictatorship is that a democracy is where you get get to vote for your government and a dictatorship is where someone/ a group takes over.

Answer 6

In a democracy, the people get to choose their dictators!

Answer 7

In a democracy, the people have control of the government.

in a dictatorship, one person has control of the government.