There are many ways to govern a country. Forms of government vary from monarchies, to democracies, to actually having no government whatsoever. A monarchy is a type of government that consists of all the power being in one individual, or monarch. On the other hand, a democracy is carried out by the people, either directly or by having representatives. Both of these forms of government have their pros and cons; but which is better or more effective? This is not only a matter of different types of government, but also the person that is in power and the people that are being governed. Democracy is a much more effective method of pleasing a larger majority of the people, and Monarchy is great for making quick decisions that need not be argued against, so they both are good forms of government in different ways.
Monarchies have occurred numerous times throughout history, including the reign of Henry VIII of England. He had complete power over England, and when he found that he did not have quite as much power as he wanted, he passed an act to give him even more power. The Act of Supremacy gave him supreme rule over the entire church. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Supremacy). In the Act, he stated that the king:
shall be taken, accepted and reputed the only supreme head in earth of the Church of England called Anglicana Ecclesia, and shall have and enjoy annexed and united to the imperial crown of this realm as well the title and style thereof, as all honours, dignities, preeminences, jurisdictions, privileges, authorities, immunities, profits and commodities, to the said dignity of supreme head of the same Church belonging and appertaining. (King Henry VIII).
In a monarchy, the king makes the end all be all decisions. No one can argue, or the king may just decide to have them banished or executed. While this is not human, and can cause many people to dislike or turn against the king, it does provide a fast way of getting things done. Some people may title monarchy as the most effective form of government, but others may argue.
A democracy is a newer form of government that also has many positives. Unlike monarchy, democracy has a much better chance of satisfying more people in a country. Democracies started a very long time ago and still continue to appear in our world today. One example is the government of the United States. While we do have one president in charge, we have a fair way of choosing them and voting on decisions. The constitution states that when choosing the president, “The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President.” These electors are people who have also been elected to represent each state. When more people are represented in the government, more people are happy. But is this type of government really the most effective?
A democracy may seem nice, but it may not be as effective as a monarchy in some circumstances. It takes time to allow each of the representatives to vote, and it takes even more time to count up the votes. “The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted.” (The United States Constitution). If the decision at and were, for example, whether or not to go to war, then this is not good. In the time it takes to decide, the opposing group may get impatient and simply attack. If a monarchy was also faced with this predicament, the King may decide to go to war at once, but all citizens may not agree and may not back him up in the war. Deciding which government functions better is a tough choice.
While a form of government is one of the most important parts of a country, it is not an easy thing to decide on. Maybe sometime in the future, a new form of government will develop that combines the good things about the forms of government that we have today. But while we wait, we must stick with what we have, and know that although it may not seem it, each government has its pluses.
Sources:
"Acts of Supremacy." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 15 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Supremacy.
"The Act of Supremacy." TudorHistory.org. Web. 15 May 2010. http://tudorhistory.org/primary/supremacy.html.
"The United States Constitution - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." Index Page - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. Web. 15 May 2010. http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am12.
Photographs from:
Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 15 May 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Henry_VII.png.
Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 09 Dec. 2006. Web. 15 May 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Constitution.jpg.
In general, in an academic paper that is asking for an argument, you should take one side or the other -- even consider taking a side you don't "believe" in just to see if you'd be able to make the argument work, that's a great academic exercise.
ReplyDeleteAlso, please watch the use of personal pronouns: "But while we wait". They detract from your otherwise wonderful academic tone because we don't know who the "we" is and thus different readers will make various generalized assumptions about what you are saying. It's a matter of understanding the concept of "audience" in academic work.