liberal democracy


liberal democracy

the form of representative democracy in modern Western policies, distinguished by universal suffrage, electoral competition for power between POLITICAL PARTIES and the protection of CITIZEN RIGHTS. This form of government and politics became established in Europe only in the late 19th and early 20th century, and for most of the century has faced the challenge of alternative systems, especially those based on FASCISM and COMMUNISM. See also DEMOCRACY, STABLE DEMOCRACY, PLURALISM, PLURAL ÉLITISM, TOTALITARIANISM, CAPITALIST STATE.