Warunki i sens praktyki demokratycznej w XX wieku

Ideological disputes and certain practices within totalitarian regimes have led to the triumph of democracy in the late 20th century. The precedent totalitarianism in many countries was mainly a response to the inefficiency of capitalism, as well as a manifestation of disbelief in socialism. However, the triumphant democracy has proved unable to effectively cope with the new reality of the globalizing world. The mechanisms of democracy having its roots in the Enlightment era are poorly suited to the nature of the new civilization. The Enlightment democracy had postulated a "universal man" - an abstract entity, whose behaviour was to remain unchanged regardless of time and place. It was expected, that the citizens would actively participate in the state institutions and local governments, care about the common welfare and look after the proper functioning of the society as a w hole. Transformations of the rapidly changing world have brought about a crisis of such expectations in contemporary civilization. One of these transformations was the increasingly bureaucratic nature of the governing process.