The Nature and Limits of the Majority Principle

The Partiality of the Democracy of the Moderns Analysis of the theory of modern representative systems (which in the twentieth century ended up being called “democracies”), whether it be Hans Kelsen’s or Joseph Schumpeter’s, makes it possible to say – simplifying a little – that what has been called democracy of the moderns consists of the following: in competitive and regular elections, citizens choose representatives who make laws that these citizens must obey. The electorate are free to dismiss these representatives at the next election. So we say that the representatives are accountable, or “politically responsible to the voters”, and this continues, election after election. This is approximately what Abbé Sieyès wrote at the beginning of the French Revolution. With one important exception: Kelsen and Schumpeter both include in their theory the essential role of political parties, which were absent or rather frowned upon