Practicing Reading Skill 20
Passage B
Any system of democratic government is beset with dangers. Under no circumstances we can expect all the people of a democratic society to think alike. In that case it would not be a democracy. When we accept the rule of the majority however, there is always a serious danger that a minority may made to suffer by unfair laws or by some act of discrimination.
Another menace is the demogog, a man without scruples who, by favor of his conviction or the appeal of his oratory, may create a following of millions. In their acceptance of his ideas these millions may lose their sense of judgment. They may empower him to destroy the very society that believe he is about to save.
Then there is the question of survival during a great crisis. Since democracies must move more slowly than dictatorships, to some people democratic government appears less efficient. Thus may come a demand for dictatorship to meet an emergency. Finally, democratic government can be easily subjected to pressure groups that are powerful, wealthy, or merely vociferous, demanding special favors for themselves. Unless guarded against, any one of these factors is dangerous enough to destroy a democratic society.