Democracy

Majority rule. Democratic theory begins with the justification of government by the people, usually in terms either of the rights of individual citizens, or the need to protect their interests effectively. It then proceeds to the two questions of what government by the people means, and how, if at all, it can be implemented. Source: David Held, Models

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Democratic centralism (20TH CENTURY)

Theory of Communist Party organization. Power in Communist Parties was derived from the rank and file, but it could and should then be used to preserve disciplined orthodoxy. In practice this meant that central despotism over the membership could be justified by reference to the consent of those thus subjected. It is now of largely historical

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Democratic elitism (20TH CENTURY)

Theory of democracy set out by the American economist and political scientist Joseph Schumpeter(1883-1946). The theory of democracy had attributed power to the people; that of elitism had attributed it to minorities. In democracies this polarity is resolved, by elites competing for popular electoral support to enable them to exercise power subject to its being renewed at the next election. Source:

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Dependency theory (20TH CENTURY)

Theory of international and domestic politics. The third world, or the poor, or the working class, or women, have to choose within structures or societies where they are dependent on the industrial world, or the rich, or men, for the means of existence. Their ‘choice’ of subordinate roles is thus determined from the start.

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Deterrence (20TH CENTURY)

Theory of nuclear strategy. Nations can deter other nations from attacking them by the knowledge of certain retaliation. The most familiar form of such retaliation is possession of (sufficient) nuclear weapons. Also see: balance of terror, mutually assured destruction Source: Graham Evans and Geoffrey Newnham, The Dictionary of World Politics (Hemel Hempstead, 1990) Deterrence may refer to:

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Detonator theory (20TH CENTURY)

Theory of insurrection. Discontented populations, particularly under foreign occupation, are likened to explosive material which requires detonation by some additional action. This can be provided by trained elites, if necessary entering from abroad. The theory informed some of the activities of the Allies during World War II. Also see: foco theory Source: David Stafford, Britain

Development theory (20TH CENTURY)

The industrialized nations represent the most advanced form of society, and other nations are categorized in terms of their approximation to this model. They can thus be judged more or less developed, and their efforts should be directed towards approaching as close as possible to the ‘developed’ model in their political, social, and economic

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Dialectical materialism (19TH CENTURY- )

Term coined by German philosopher JOSEF DIETZGEN (1820-1888) and developed by Marx’s successors. History moved forward as a result of ‘argument’ between different material features of human society. Dialectical materialism was an ambitious and almost abstract attempt by Karl Marx’s successors to give an account of all human and natural events, and was subsequently largely discarded.

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Dictatorship of the proletariat (19TH CENTURY- )

Theory of course of revolution, coined by German social theorist Karl Marx (1818-83) but used most frequently by Russian revolutionary Vladimir I. Lenin (1870-1924). The capitalist state would be destroyed and replaced by a temporary dictatorship of the whole proletariat which, in abolishing capitalism, would itself then either away and be replaced by communism in which there would be neither coercive state

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Difference principle (1971)

Theory for applying equality, proposed by the American political theorist John Rawls (1921-2002). Treating people unequally is only justified if by so doing the least advantaged member of society is made better off. Source: David Miller et al., eds, The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought (Oxford, 1987) Theory Difference theory has roots in the studies of John

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Direct action

Theory of politics derived from anarchism. Rather than accept the delays of representative politics, people with objectives or grievances in common should act directly to achieve their aims, either by demonstration or by such means as sit-ins, occupations, or the take-over of industrial premises. Source: April Carter, Direct Action and Liberal Democracy (London, 1973) History

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Direct democracy

Theory of direct self-government. Democracy is rule by all the people, and thus requires direct participation in the making of decisions and the passing of laws. Such a form of government is only possible in small communities such as the city states of classical Greece, though it is aspired to in the arguments of Swiss

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Directed democracy (20TH CENTURY)

In states which are formally democratic, but where an elite or oligarchy governs in practice, democracy is claimed to exist because it is ‘directed’ or ‘guided’ rather than superseded. The term (which was sometimes applied to the Soviet Union) combines euphemism and criticism and is now used only ironically. Source: Roger Scruton, A Dictionary

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Divine right

Doctrine of royal authority reintroduced by AUGUSTUS (63 BC-AD 14) and stemming from the dual role of Roman emperors as both gods and rulers. Kings derive their power from God. Their authority is thus unlimited except by divine law itself, and subjects are obliged to obey as they are obliged to obey God himself.

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Dominant ideology

Marxist account of control through ideas. In any society the dominant ideas are those of the dominant class. In capitalist societies, dominant ideology is thus a powerful means of maintaining the system. Also see: androcentrism Source: Nicholas Abercrombie, Stephen Hill and Bryan S Turner, The Dominant Ideology Thesis (London, 1980) Marxism Social control exercised and

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Domino theory (20TH CENTURY)

American theory, during the Cold War, of defence against Soviet influence. Nations over which the USA and the Soviet Union competed for influence were like a line of dominoes, and if one fell to communism, a process would be started which would ‘lose’ all of them. Source: Graham Evan and Jeffrey Newnham, The Dictionary of

Doomsday theory (20TH CENTURY)

Extension of the theory of mutually assured destruction. If a nation possessed a Doomsday machine, or system of nuclear weapons so formidable that any attack on it would lead to total global destruction, aggressors would be deterred. Source: David Robertson, The Penguin Dictionary of Politics (London, 1986) Doomsday is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics,

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Double consciousness (20TH CENTURY)

Theory of consciousness. In a patriachal society women have two consciousnesses: one as members of a male dominated system, one as women oppressed by it. The theory has many precedents, amongst them the Christian injunction to be ‘in the world but not of it’. Source: Maggie Humm, The Dictionary of Feminist Theory (London, 1989)

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Dual state theory (20TH CENTURY)

Explanation of apparent ambivalence in actions of capitalist states. Those areas of the state’s work which are not important to the interests of capital are relatively open to democratic and public pressures; others which more closely touch the interests of capital are ‘insulated’. Source: Henry Drucker et al., eds, Developments in British Politics 2 (London, 1986) In psychology,

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Economic determinism (20TH CENTURY)

Theory of historical and political events and structures. Political or historical developments are determined by the underlying economic system, or by the distribution of power over economic resources. The most familiar theory to which this term is applied is Marxism, though it is applied by critics (rather than claimed by supporters) who deny that the relationship between

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