Why Do We Live In A "Smooth Tyranny" ?
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" Delegate is indeed giving up the possibility of a direct action, and the pretended "sovereignty" of the democratic right is an abdiction, the most often in favor of swindlers"
Part 1:
From a liberal point of view
The Contradictions Of The Democracy
Presentation of the "democracy"
Anyone would agree to this analysis.
This analysis mainly comes from " the Democracy in America", 1835, by Tocqueville , a liberal.
Our "democracy" has several risks:
-- A majority and intolerent conformism : Tocqueville noticed the impossibility of being an atheist -considering the public opinion- in the USA. Today it's more the politically correct which looks for any vice. Besides some laws adopted by the majority can be contrary to the individual freedom.The majority in this case becomes tyrannic by condemnig any form of violence from the minority.
--A narrow individualism : The withdrawal on the << little society>> of his/her family and friends can lead the individual to the loneliness and to the lack of interest for politics.
--A smooth despotism or tyranny : The result of the other tendancy is the development of a centralized power. The individual -lonely- trust the state to ensure the equality and the conformity of each to the majority values. This tyranny is according to Tocqueville the most serious.
Tyranny in action:
People trust their governments so much that threy sometimes miss the fact that they are manipulated, that everything is controlled and aimed at a precise purpose.
Here are few well known exemples:
1982 : England prime minister, Tatcher, triggered the Falkland conflict to win her election.
1999 : The US bombing of Irak to make people forget the Monica Lewinski affair of president Clinton .
There are of course many others but these are obvious.
Tocqueville's solutions to avert tyranny :
--Local liberties and decentralization:The local political life is the only means to awake a conscience of the public interest.
--The assaciative life : Citizens then go beyond their individualism over all the problems of the everyday life.
--Individual and collective public liberties (press, meeting, opinion...).They allow the considreations of all the opinions and interests; they are the foundation of a pluralistic democracy.
They are today people's pretended liberties.