How important is democracy today?

Democracy is very important today. If we look at the past and the present, we can see why democracies must exist. In both world wars, countries led by dictatorships or monarchs were responsible for the start of each war. Several countries that had some form of democracy were being attacked. The people who lived in these nondemocratic countries, Germany, Japan, and Italy, had far fewer freedoms than the people who lived in democratic countries such...

Democracy is very important today. If we look at the past and the present, we can see why democracies must exist. In both world wars, countries led by dictatorships or monarchs were responsible for the start of each war. Several countries that had some form of democracy were being attacked. The people who lived in these nondemocratic countries, Germany, Japan, and Italy, had far fewer freedoms than the people who lived in democratic countries such as the United States.

As we fast-forward to today, we see something similar. It is the countries where some form of democracy exists that are fighting the spread of terrorism. The people who live in countries that support terrorism have far fewer rights than the people who live in democratic countries. The same is true in countries that don't have democratic governments. The standard of living and the economy tend to be better in countries where some form of democracy exists. Countries like the United States, Great Britain, and Canada are examples. It is fair to conclude that without democracy, the world would be a much less free place than it is today. If we look at countries like Cuba, North Korea, and China, we see people living in poor conditions with very few rights. A handful of people controls much of what occurs in these countries while the masses live in fear of expressing themselves religiously, politically, and economically.