essay about political freedom

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Political Freedom

Political freedom is the ability of a nation’s citizens to participate freely in the political process. It involves both the freedom of the majority to influence and guide policy (rather than merely entrenched insiders doing so) and the freedom of political minorities to publicly advocate for their positions. In the words of Lord Acton, “The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities.” Practically, this absence of coercion is expressed in such rights as freedom of the press, freedom of worship and freedom of assembly. 

Political Freedom and Prosperity

Although political freedom and economic freedom are far from perfectly correlated, history indicates that the two are mutually supportive. Political freedom often lays the foundation upon which economic freedom—and therefore prosperity—can be built. For example, a rule of law that respects property rights, enforces contracts, and punishes corruption is essential for the operation of business enterprise. These conditions most often exist in a country where free elections and active participation by the electorate ensure that government officeholders are responsive to the common good.

A society with wide berth for the political activity of its citizens also encourages civic participation, concern for the common good, and a sense of personal responsibility (traits that support enterprise and economic growth). This is substantiated by data from surveys that measure each. Based on studies by Freedom House (political freedom) and the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal (economic freedom) Freedom House director Adrian Karatnycky reported that “there is a high and statistically significant correlation between the level of political freedom … and economic freedom."

Political Freedom in the Developing World

One of the obstacles holding back developing nations is political oppression. “Bad governance,” one of the four main “poverty traps” identified by Paul Collier, keeps nations locked in poverty. Dictatorships and military juntas discourage the conditions necessary for economic development. In addition, the relative predominance of the political sphere over and above other spheres creates a set of bad incentives. As Theodore Dalrymple notes, in many poor nations “there’s no way of getting on in the world or becoming prosperous other than by finding a political sponsor.”

When people stand to gain more by political success than by entrepreneurial success, the most talented and ambitious individuals will tend to direct their energy toward personal success in the political sphere rather than to creating jobs and wealth through business activity. When minorities or individuals feel that they are powerless victims rather than active participants in the political arena, they will take their skill, creativity, and drive to a new location, depriving their native country of its most important resource: human capital.

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Freedom Essay for Students and Children

500+ Words Essay on Freedom

Freedom is something that everybody has heard of but if you ask for its meaning then everyone will give you different meaning. This is so because everyone has a different opinion about freedom. For some freedom means the freedom of going anywhere they like, for some it means to speak up form themselves, and for some, it is liberty of doing anything they like.

Meaning of Freedom

The real meaning of freedom according to books is. Freedom refers to a state of independence where you can do what you like without any restriction by anyone. Moreover, freedom can be called a state of mind where you have the right and freedom of doing what you can think off. Also, you can feel freedom from within.

The Indian Freedom

Indian is a country which was earlier ruled by Britisher and to get rid of these rulers India fight back and earn their freedom. But during this long fight, many people lost their lives and because of the sacrifice of those people and every citizen of the country, India is a free country and the world largest democracy in the world.

Moreover, after independence India become one of those countries who give his citizen some freedom right without and restrictions.

The Indian Freedom Right

India drafted a constitution during the days of struggle with the Britishers and after independence it became applicable. In this constitution, the Indian citizen was given several fundaments right which is applicable to all citizen equally. More importantly, these right are the freedom that the constitution has given to every citizen.

These right are right to equality, right to freedom, right against exploitation, right to freedom of religion¸ culture and educational right, right to constitutional remedies, right to education. All these right give every freedom that they can’t get in any other country.

Value of Freedom

The real value of anything can only be understood by those who have earned it or who have sacrificed their lives for it. Freedom also means liberalization from oppression. It also means the freedom from racism, from harm, from the opposition, from discrimination and many more things.

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Freedom does not mean that you violate others right, it does not mean that you disregard other rights. Moreover, freedom means enchanting the beauty of nature and the environment around us.

The Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is the most common and prominent right that every citizen enjoy. Also, it is important because it is essential for the all-over development of the country.

Moreover, it gives way to open debates that helps in the discussion of thought and ideas that are essential for the growth of society.

Besides, this is the only right that links with all the other rights closely. More importantly, it is essential to express one’s view of his/her view about society and other things.

To conclude, we can say that Freedom is not what we think it is. It is a psychological concept everyone has different views on. Similarly, it has a different value for different people. But freedom links with happiness in a broadway.

FAQs on Freedom

Q.1 What is the true meaning of freedom? A.1 Freedom truly means giving equal opportunity to everyone for liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Q.2 What is freedom of expression means? A.2 Freedom of expression means the freedom to express one’s own ideas and opinions through the medium of writing, speech, and other forms of communication without causing any harm to someone’s reputation.

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Claiming the Freedom to Shape Politics Essay

Introduction.

Mitchell (1) explores the importance of human rights in an article titled, “Character Development.” The article is a narration of the ethical and professional conduct of military operations – through the role of the military in upholding human rights. The story’s setting is an interview room where military officers quiz a doctor (Shariba) regarding his role in aiding sectarian violence.

While trying to employ a radical interview strategy, one military officer accidentally shoots the doctor and Mitchell (the author) is encouraged to cover up the incident. Throughout the interview, an exploration of the politics and ethics surrounding human right violations occur because the military officers used excessive force on the interviewee (Mitchell 5).

This paper demonstrates that Mitchell’s article provides an insight into how people may claim the freedom to shape policies by demonstrating the effect of politics on peoples’ families and community well-being. In addition, this paper also shows that ordinary people claim the freedom to shape politics because politics influence human rights, and the violation of human rights in one part of the world affects another.

Similarly, this paper demonstrates that ordinary people fund political processes and therefore, people have the right to influence political decisions. Nonetheless, this paper limits the extent ordinary citizens claim the freedom to influence politics to heroism, public perception, and the development of an understanding regarding political ramifications.

How Ordinary People Claim the Freedom to Shape Politics

Ordinary people may claim the freedom to shape politics through their ability to influence funding. Taxpayers always fund political processes and by dictating the use of taxes, ordinary people may effectively exercise their freedom to shape politics. According to Mitchell (10), Shariba’s service as a doctor depended on taxpayer funding, regardless of his thoughts regarding the separation of duties between saving lives and aiding militia activities. Indeed, while trying to separate his role and the role of the military, Shariba said, the role of preventing human slaughter was the role of the British military, but his role was constrained to saving lives (Mitchell 19).

Therefore, in his view, he did not see any problem with saving the lives of militiamen. This statement bears some ethical and political undertones but ordinary citizens can assert their views by financing what they believe to be right. For example, if ordinary people support the doctor’s assertion, they should be able to continue funding hospitals – where the doctor practices. Indeed, Toseland said, Shariba should not forget that tax money paid for the hospital where he worked (Mitchell 20). Through this assertion, citizens claim the influence of political processes.

Universal Human Rights

Ordinary people can equally claim the freedom to shape politics because politics affect human rights and human rights are universal (Dursun and Cooper 394). This statement implies that if human right breaches occur in one part of the world, its impact is likely to be felt in other parts of the world as well. For example, Mitchell (21) focused on human rights violations in the British army. Considering the fact that Britain is a leader in human right advancement, smaller armies around the world may also conceal human right breaches the same way the British army does. This way, humanity is under threat. Ordinary people, therefore, stake a claim to shape politics because politics affect their human rights, which are non-negotiable (Dursun and Cooper 394).

Community and Family Well-being

Politics is more than a framework for making decisions because political actions have far-reaching ramifications that equally affect community well-being. Since community well-being is a function of family well-being, it is easy to see the influence of politics on families and the welfare of future generations. Mitchell (22) emphasizes this remark when he highlighted the threats of Shariba’s life and his family.

He reports, “Shariba just asks Bax if he is threatening his family” (Mitchell (22). Later, after Shariba’s killing, Mitchell (30) asks who will feed and take care of Shariba’s family. Comprehensively, these two statements show that ordinary people have a stake in political processes because politics affects their families, and by extension, the well-being of their communities (Dursun and Cooper 399).

Extent Ordinary Citizens Claim the Freedom to Influence Politics

One unconventional approach to claim the freedom to influence politics is heroism. Doctor Shariba exercised his right to influence political processes by going against the norm and volunteering his services to save lives, even when he seemed to be aiding the enemy.

Shariba’s action is heroic. Even Mitchell (32), recognized the doctor’s contribution and questioned why the doctor did not stay in Canterbury and play with his children. In fact, he says, “Most of the Western-trained professionals got out before the invasion” (Mitchell 33). Instead, the doctor stayed behind to provide his services to people who needed it. This way, he was able to change and influence the politics of the war (albeit in a small way).

“If that is not heroism, what is?” (Mitchell 33).

Another way that ordinary citizens can exercise their freedom to influence political processes lies in their power to approve or disapprove political actions. By approving political actions, there is a wide sense of approval by the citizenry regarding political decisions (Dursun and Cooper 399). By disapproving political actions, political processes are bound to take a different turn because it is potentially disastrous to pursue unpopular political decisions. Mitchell acknowledges this issue when he says; the British army receives a good cover-up that conceals human right breaches (Mitchell 33). He makes this reference to the unwarranted killing of the doctor. By creating a positive perception about the role of the military in solving political dilemmas, Mitchell (34) stands the risk of creating a positive perception within the public, which is later bound to solidify human right abuses.

Understanding

Mitchell (34) says military officers often witness many bad experiences on duty. However, civilians do not understand these experiences no matter how well they offer their support to the victims. Mitchell (34) affirms, ‘It is okay, Owen, I understand, and you are not lying, you think you do get it, but No. You do not.” Through this misconception, Mitchell (34) demonstrates the misunderstanding of civilians regarding the experiences of military personnel on the field.

However, by trying to understand the experiences and implications that certain political operations contend, ordinary people may merge their expectations with the reality of the officers. Through this understanding, there will be a more realistic expectation of the activities and conduct of military officers in the field because Mitchell (35) demonstrates that military officers feel misunderstood by the public. Through this understanding, people can claim influence to politics by understanding and supporting instruments of power (such as the military).

Mitchell’s story depicts the real-life situation characterizing human rights violations in today’s society. Albeit unintentional, Mitchell (39) exposes how politics affect ordinary citizens by drawing the link between civilian life and political actions. These similarities manifest through the respect for human rights, the well-being of the society, and the role of the society in funding political programs.

Through these platforms, ordinary citizens claim the freedom to shape politics. This paper however further explains that ordinary citizens may exercise their freedom to influence politics by creating a positive or negative perception about political actions, showing more understanding to political ramifications, and influencing politics (directly) through heroism. These strategies define the extent of citizens’ influence on politics.

Works Cited

Dursun, Peksen and Cooper Drury. “Economic Sanctions and Political Repression: Assessing the Impact of Coercive Diplomacy on Political Freedoms.” Human Rights Review 10.3 (2009): 393-411. Print.

Mitchell, David 2009, Character Development .

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IvyPanda. (2022, May 3). Claiming the Freedom to Shape Politics. https://ivypanda.com/essays/political-freedom/

"Claiming the Freedom to Shape Politics." IvyPanda , 3 May 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/political-freedom/.

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IvyPanda . 2022. "Claiming the Freedom to Shape Politics." May 3, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/political-freedom/.

1. IvyPanda . "Claiming the Freedom to Shape Politics." May 3, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/political-freedom/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Claiming the Freedom to Shape Politics." May 3, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/political-freedom/.

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1 The Problem of Political Freedom

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• Published: September 1988
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Central to liberalism is the concept of political freedom. Revisionists wrongly claim that liberty has only instrumental value, but they do nevertheless contribute several cogent arguments relevant to the question of how the value of liberty is to be justified. The doctrine of the presumption of liberty and the thesis that liberty ‘just has’ intrinsic value are rightly rejected by revisionists, since neither can ground distinctions between different freedoms. Linguistic analysis is of limited use to the justification of the value of liberty, since distinctions between notions of freedom and unfreedom do not match normatively relevant distinctions. This book seeks to defend a liberal theory of limited government without resort to the mistaken premises of individualism, which it rejects.

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