Research Paper on:
The Power of Speech in a Democracy

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Democracy may be direct or indirect, the key is that the society is ruled according to the will of the people. IN most societies today democracy is indirect, this means  that representatives are elected to office and they will then make the decisions by proxy. If the electorate does not like the way the country is run they have the  opportunity to elect a different government at the next election and protest at actions in the mean time, with marches, speeches and a range of other actions that communicate  the feelings. For example in recent years in democratic countries there have been marches and rallies to protest against the actions of the governments towards and within Iraq. This  system is one that needs information to operate. When a government is elected there are a range of political tools used, included elections broadcasts, speeches and advertising campaigns. These communicate  the ideas and value of the potential political leaders and parties. To communicate these ideas speech is the most effective tool. By hearing a person speak we are making judgement  not only on the words, but also on the way they are delivered, judging if they appear sincere, or if they are avoiding issues. The different speeches by the candidates  can then be assessed. Often on the promises they make, but also on the attacks and criticisms they make on others. Therefore, the early stages of democratic process relies  on speech. However, it is in the continuation of democracy that speech is of utmost importance (Benkler, 2003). It is through speech that the progress of a government can be  monitored and kept in check. In countries where there is not a democracy regime, such as China, there is no free speech, the ability to question the government in limited.