¿DEMOKRATIE?
Documentary Series | Austria, 2008–2010
¿DEMOKRATIE? is an educational documentary series exploring the meaning, history, principles, and contradictions of democracy. Originally broadcast monthly on the Austrian television channel Okto between 2008 and 2010, the series examines democracy as a concept that shapes institutions, economies and everyday life.
Each approximately 16-minute episode explores a different aspect of democracy, from its historical origins and the evolution of voting rights to the separation of powers, constitutional law, media influence, corporate lobbying, economic inequality, globalisation, and democratic participation.
The series follows a distinctive interview format: ordinary people approached on the streets and subject-matter experts—including political scientists, anthropologists, and other academics—are confronted with the same questions. Their answers are juxtaposed through rapid editing, revealing the sometimes surprising differences between popular assumptions, personal experiences, and academic perspectives. The goal of these contrasting viewpoints was to create a lively, accessible, and thought-provoking exploration of complex political concepts.
Rather than offering definitive answers, each episode encourages viewers to question what they believe democracy to be, how democratic institutions actually function, and where the ideals of democracy diverge from political and social realities. The production was discussed in more detail following interview:
EPISODES
The series attracted considerable viewership and was rebroadcast several times in subsequent years. The original episodes and trailers are presented below. Extended, unedited interviews with the participating experts were also published on YouTube and remain available online (see below). The original language is German.
¿DEMOKRATIE?
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
The opening episode asks a deceptively simple question: What is democracy? What does the term actually mean, and how do different people understand its underlying principles?
HISTORY: THE ORIGINS OF DEMOCRACY
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Does the so-called Western world, beginning with ancient Greece, have a monopoly on the idea of democracy? Did other cultures, before and after the Greeks, have no concept of democratic governance or political participation?
HISTORY: THE MIDDLE AGES
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
The thousand years following the fall of the Roman Empire are often portrayed as a dark period in European history. But was the Middle Ages really as politically backward as we are commonly led to believe?
HISTORY: THE EVOLUTION OF VOTING RIGHTS
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
How have voting rights evolved since the American and French Revolutions? Which groups were allowed to vote, which were excluded, and on what grounds? How did the idea of universal suffrage develop over time?
FREE? EQUAL? SISTERLY?
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
How democratic is a society in which women earn less on average than men and remain a minority in leadership positions? How did these inequalities develop historically, and what do they reveal about the gap between democratic ideals and social realities?
MIGRATIONS & VOTING RIGHTS
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
At the time of filming, approximately 10% of Austria's population was excluded from voting despite having lived in the country for years, paying taxes, and being subject to its laws. What are the historical reasons behind the exclusion of non-citizens from voting rights, and how do other countries address this question?
E-VOTING
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Universal, free, equal, direct, and personal elections are among the cornerstones of modern democracy. In an increasingly digital world, electronic voting appears to offer new possibilities for participation. But why is it so controversial, and what challenges does it pose to the integrity of democratic elections?
THE RULE OF LAW
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
The rule of law is one of the fundamental pillars of modern democracy. Yet the concept is often reduced to the existence of an effective police force and the enforcement of laws. What does the rule of law actually mean? And how are democracy, law, and justice related?
THE CONSTITUTION
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
A constitution forms the foundation of a country's legal system. All ordinary laws must comply with its provisions. But what exactly does a constitution contain? How extensive is it, and must a constitution necessarily exist as a single written document?
SEPARATION OF POWERS
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
What is political power, and why does its distribution matter? Does the separation of powers function as effectively in practice as democratic theory demands? And how do different branches of government actually exercise checks and balances over one another?
THE MEDIA
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
What role do the media play in a democracy? How much influence do economic interests have over media organisations, and what challenges does this create for independent journalism? Can the pursuit of profit be reconciled with the media's responsibility to inform and educate the public?
ECONOMY: LOBBYING
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
How much influence does the economy have over politics? How powerful are multinational corporations, and what does their influence mean for democratic decision-making? How might political philosophers such as Montesquieu and John Locke have responded to the power of corporations in the 21st century?
ECONOMY: SOCIAL JUSTICE
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
What is the relationship between economic stability and democracy? What constitutes a fair distribution of income, and is economic equality a prerequisite for a functioning democratic society?
ECONOMY: CAPITALISM
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
How democratically is our economic system organised? Should a democratic state intervene more or less in a country's economic affairs? And what is the relationship between the economic contributions of labour and capital?
ECONOMY: GLOBALISATION
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
In an age of economic globalisation, do we also need global laws and democratic institutions? How democratically do international organisations such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund operate? And does economic globalisation threaten democracy at the national level?
THE EUROPEAN UNION
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
How democratic is the European Union? How does the separation of powers function within its institutions, and is there a need for democratic reform? Is the EU merely a loose association of sovereign states, or is it gradually evolving towards a federal system?
POLITICAL EDUCATION
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
For people to live together democratically, certain fundamental conditions must be met. What are these prerequisites? What are the essential pillars of a modern democracy, and what role does political education play in sustaining democratic participation?
DEMOCRACY AS A WAY OF LIFE
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Does democracy exist only at the political level? How democratically are other areas of our lives organised—from schools and universities to companies and families? And can people with authoritarian mindsets genuinely act democratically?
PREREQUISITES & THREATS
GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Democratic coexistence depends on a number of fundamental conditions. What are these prerequisites, and what constitutes the foundation of a modern democracy? What happens when those foundations are challenged?
