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16
Systemypolityczne
ingovernance”
4
).Theresistanceagainstdemocracyamongcertainpolitical
circlesofAmerica(includingthe“fathersoftheindependence”oftheUnited
States)orEurope,shouldnotcomeasasurpriseeither.Democracyinits
modernframes,bordersandsubstanceasweknowit,isnot,afterall,atime-
lessabsolute,butonlyatypicalvarietyofdemocracycharacteristicofour
times.Aswithanyvalue,democracyalsoundergoesagradualchangein
timeandinspace.Itcanbeassumedthatitappearedandissubjecttochange
inspecifichistoricalconditionsanditcannotberuledoutthatonedayitwill
vanish.Afterall,theredonotexisteternalpoliticalsystems.
Ifweagreethatthegapbetweentheidealofdemocracyandthereal
wayofgovernancehasaccompaniedpoliticalpracticeandpoliticalthought
extremelyoften,wemustalsoagreethatthecontemporarydebateisnot
somethingoriginal,thoughitdoesnotstopforevenamomenttobeasubject
ofscientific,politicalorconceptual,discourse.Thediscourseatonetime
attemptstodescribepoliticalpractice,thepracticeofgovernance,whileat
othertimesittriestodefinetheobjectiveofdemocracy,anideal(desired)
socialorder.Empirical,applieddemocracydiffersfromthepostulated,
desired,democracy.Thesedifferencesareseenclearlywhenwecontrast
rationalizeddemocracy,utilizingexperienceandconcrete,acceptedstand-
ardsofthegovernmentsofotherstates,especiallyofthegovernmentsof
statesoflaw,withthepoliticalwilloftheauthority,afreeauthority,inwhich
democracyisseennotasanendinitself,butasaninstrumentofachieving
adhocpoliticalobjectives.Therehavebeennumerousheatedpoliticalargu-
mentsaboutthefirstandthesecondunderstandingofdemocracy.Rarely,
however,outsidethecircleofspecialistshasdemocracybeenthoroughlyana-
lysedasarationalizedconcept.
Inthe19thcentury,theconceptofdemocracywasoftencombinedwith
thefightforindependence,withnationalaspirations.Afterall,freedom
belongstothefundamentalvaluesofliberaldemocracy.Eversincedemoc-
racyhasbeenfadingawayasacosmopolitanconcept(timelessandextra
spatial).Bybecomingasystemofgovernance,itco-existswithanessen-
tialadjective(democracywithadjectives).Inthelattercase,itisnotabout
defining,butaboutdescribingit.Itwasthenthatthefollowingdilemmawas
ultimatelyresolved:directdemocracyorindirectdemocracy(representative
democracy).AttheturnofthecenturyandevenmoreaftertheFirstWorld
War,thelevelofempowermentofthepeople(thenation)grewsignificantly
1bythegrantingofrightstowomen(formerlytheabolitionofproperty
restrictions)1andcontinuingtheelectorallawreform.Politicalparties
becameapermanentandamoreandmoreimportantelementofdemocracy
1aso-calledpartydemocracybegantodevelop.Theprincipleofthesov-
4
Arystoteles:Dzieławszystkie.Vol.6.Trans.L.Piotrowicz.Warszawa2001,p.174.
