Demokratie als Politischer Strategiekern

Abstract

"Democracy" is a political term and controversial as such. It is in the nature of political con-cepts that they are not only descriptive but that they are also connected to options of agency. The concept of democracy is associated with a number of widely diverging political strategies. The most diverse political currents, movements, governments refer to themselves as "democratic"; widely different political systems are called "democratic". And especially in the context of Western "democracies" the description "democratic" is supposed to translate as "most valuable". The contribution departures from concrete rhetorical classifications as "democratic" or "undemocratic" and focuses primarily on two antagonistic strategies: While concepts of "social democracy" conceptualize democracy as an unfinished process and de-mand the democratization of society (including the economic realm), concepts of liberal de-mocracy seek to restrict the democratic principle to the realm of institutionalized politics.