Democracy Basics

What does “democracy” mean? Is it an ideal that a society can try to get as close as possible? Or can a constitution and elections guarantee a democracy to stay? Which role do media and civil society play? And how can you participate in a democracy?

What does “democracy” mean? Is it an ideal that a society can try to get as close as possible? Or can a constitution and elections guarantee a democracy to stay? Which role do media and civil society play? And how can one participate in a democracy?

In this section, we have collected reading materials and animation videos from the Citizen+ online course “Democracy Basics.” The course was created in 2020 and is based on examples of the history and politics of Germany, Ukraine and Russia. 

The materials are covering the following topics: main principles of democratic processes; election processes in democratic and authoritarian countries with examples of election campaigns, fraud and manipulation; mechanisms of civic control and examples of participation in the public and political life of a country; and functions of media and social networks as a tool for monitoring the state, business and social movements.

Videos

Video
Democracy Basics

How does censorship in Russia work?

Moscow politician Ilya Yashin explains who controls the television and press, and how censorship on the Internet is carried out.
Video
Democracy Basics

How are fakes launched on the Internet?

Ilya Yashin and Anna Litvinenko explain who is spreading disinformation and how.
Video
Democracy Basics

Who owns the media?

Free University of Berlin experts Stanislav Klimovich and Anna Litvinenko on why we are a product of the media we consume.

Publications

Publication
Democracy Basics

Civil society control

What is civil society and what is its role in ensuring democratic processes within the state?
Publication
Democracy Basics

Elections ≠ voting

A brief overview of the basic principles of fair and free elections with vivid examples from countries around the world.
Publication
Democracy Basics

Media literacy

What is media literacy and how does it help us to interact effectively with media, develop critical thinking, communicate and ensure active civic participation?
Publication
Democracy Basics

Watchdog of Democracy

The media are the public's mouthpiece to prevent lawlessness, violence, pollution, discrimination, and corruption.

Online course

The online course “Democracy Basics” consists of five modules, which include animations, interviews with experts and politicians (available in Ukrainian and Russian), educational material, infographics, and quizzes (available in Ukrainian and Russian). The course was created in 2020 and is based on examples of the history and politics of Germany, Ukraine and Russia. Scroll through the page, read, watch and test yourself.

Udemy

News and events

Partners

The project is funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany in the framework of the Eastern Partnership program.

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