Democracy means “rule by the people” in Greek. It was first used in Athens to describe a political system in which adult men selected who would participate in a citizens’ assembly that would then take important decisions.
Although it was better than any other political system of the time, it bore little resemblance to our democracy of today. But the citizens of Europe are beginning to see cracks in the foundations of that democracy in the wake of recent events. Certain political groups and their actions are shaking out democracy to its foundations.
But how do young people view these developments? Are they having an impact on our daily lives? Are we losing some of our rights? Is our democracy really in danger?
Seeking to identify these threats to our democracy more precisely, we spoke to members of the European Parliament in Madrid along with organizations that are trying to bring the EU and its values closer to young people. Our classmates also responded to a survey we prepared on the subject.
As we discussed the many rights and freedoms we have won, we realized how we have long tended to take them for granted. We agreed that, as a society, we seemingly consider our victories to be universal and permanent, meaning we don’t have to do anything to defend them. But the harsh truth is that these rights we take as given could actually be taken away from us at any time.
In fact, with the rise of extremism in almost every country, that threat seems closer than ever. But why is extremism on the rise once again?
With the emergence of the Internet, access to all kinds of information has exploded across society. Misinformation, combined with the constant state of economic crisis and a pervasive sense that the political class is not as competent as it should be and that public money is not being properly used, leaves the average citizen feeling dissatisfied with the current system, or distrustful of it.
Nonetheless, that same man or woman on the street does not seem prepared to find or come up with “complex” solutions. Yet democracy does not come with a lifetime guarantee. However, as we did not only want to express our own opinions, we asked more than 100 students of different ages in our school about the issue. The results did not come as a surprise.
A full 96% of those we polled said they were happy or grateful to live in a democracy. However, less than half of them said they were interested in politics, while of those, only 10% would consider involving themselves actively in politics. Still, 70% said that they intended to vote when they reach the required age. In addition, 55% of our fellow students believe that democracy is at risk, but only 40% would be prepared to take action in its defense.
In short, it is clear that democracy is facing threats from multiple directions. The only certainty is that we need to act, if we want to save the system that provides us with peace, stability, rights and freedoms.
This article was originally published in the insert “The European BHMA” published with “TO BHMA on Sunday” on 11 May 2025.
