What is the difference between polyarchy and democracy?

Answer 1

Polyarchy is decentralized rule, much as the founding fathers of the United States created. Under this system, there are many small governmentstailored to the needs and desires of the local populations. These small governments may take many forms ranging from Fascist Monarchy to Anarchy with unofficial structure. Such a group of governments may be under a higher government (much as how the USA was originally created with state governments under a federal government). However, Polyarchy limits this higher government to serving the lower governments by enforcing laws that all agree upon (some laws are virtually unanimous such as laws against murder, rape, theft, etc). This higher government also serves to provide defense for all the lower governments under it against foreign threats as well as threats from one sub-government to another. Such a governmental structure ensures that citizens may live under a government that they support and that also supports them. Persons living under a government that they do not support or agree with can easily move to another government that they do support and agree with.

Democracy is simply rule by majority of voters. Assuming that everyone votes (and that all votes are counted equally). a slight majority of the population can (and often will) oppress the remainder of the population. While many modern governments claim to be democratic, there has not been a true democracy in effect since ancient times...and even these were not true democracies, as the majority of the populations were non-voting slaves. In effect, there has never been a true democracy (roughly translated as "government by the people", as the few that have been created have only given voting rights to a small number of persons.