Democracy vs. Authoritarian Government

Information used from www.newsela.com 

Democracies

Many countries today are called democracies. In a democracy, people can vote to elect their leaders. That is not all it takes for a government to be a democracy, however. These governments must follow a few other important principles or ideas. 

1. One idea is freedom of speech, press and religion. This means people can share their ideas openly. The media (or the news) can, too. For example, the government cannot tell a newspaper not to print something just because the government doesn't like it. Also, people can follow the religion they believe in. Democratic governments protect these freedoms. 

2. Fair elections are another big part of democracy. Citizens must be able to vote. And people must have freedom to run for public office, too. The government cannot say who can or cannot run for office. It cannot control the results. The votes must be counted fairly. 

3. Citizens must also be allowed to take part in democracy in other ways. They can write letters to lawmakers. They can protest or speak out at political meetings. People must be allowed to participate in their government. They cannot be shut out. Democracies are also controlled by laws. The laws are not just for citizens. Leaders must follow the laws, too. These ideas are what make a true democracy. Canada, Switzerland and Japan are examples of democracies. So is the United States. 

Authoritarian Governments 

Authoritarian governments are very different from democracies. "Authoritarian" means the government has complete control. Only one person or a small group of leaders has real power in this kind of system. The government may hold elections. It limits who people can vote for, though. Sometimes it even ignores the results. Then the person who won the election is not allowed to take power. 

Authoritarian governments strictly control their people. Their leaders have final say in all decisions. Citizens must do what they are told. Kings or generals often rule authoritarian governments. These governments can also be controlled by powerful families. 

Authoritarian governments block free speech. They control what appears on TV and the Internet. They even tell newspapers what they cannot print. These governments sometimes control religion, too. Leaders decide what religions people can follow. 

Governments change over time. They may change from democratic to authoritarian rule. Or, they might change in the other direction. Sometimes governments decide to welcome more freedoms. Sometimes they decide to take freedoms away. This makes the mix of the world's governments interesting and unpredictable, too.