Education: The Factor of Democracy

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Education: The Factor of Democracy
Throughout the history of mankind, almost every major event has been affected by the type of authority involved. The ancient Egyptians were oppressed by an absolute ruler and saved by the hope of freedom. Both World War I and World War II were majorly affected by the political and personal ideals. The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were fueled by extremist rage against the “evil” American capitalist and pro-democracy beliefs. The factor that decides the level of democracy or authoritarianism in a country is the average education level of its citizens. More specifically, the less educated the citizens are, the more authoritarian the government will be. As they are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum, France and North Korea can show through their history and current events that education is the pivotal foundation as to how authoritarian or democratic a country is.

What is education?
Authoritarianism is defined as “expecting or requiring people to obey rules or laws, not allowing personal freedom” (Merriam-Webster). Democracy: “an organization or situation in which everyone is treated equally and has equal rights” (Merriam-Webster). Both sets of ideals, actions, and beliefs are ultimately decided by education. What is education and what does it mean for a person to be educated? If one thought of the traditional sense of education that consists of math, science, and language, North Korea, which holds a “Freedom House” score of 7 (the most authoritarian score possible) could seem to be the more educated country. While both France and North Korea have literacy rates of above 99% (World by Map), the education process is held to a much higher standard in No...

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...he citizens. Ideas and knowledge of other cultures led to the eventual democratization of France. Unfortunately, the history and current state of North Korea tell that the citizens will not learn what true freedom is any time in the near future. Education leads to revolution and revolution leads to a government of the people. Ultimately however, simply being educated about the possibilities and promise of freedom does not guarantee democracy. This statement rings true for any factor one might give for the cause of democracy whether it is the distribution of wealth or racial diversity. Achieving democracy takes bravery and willingness to stand up for what you know every human deserves. Governments do not democratize themselves without a little push from their citizens. Once the people learn of what they could have and what is possible, the bravery will always follow.

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