Governments around the world have been trying to retain their grip on power for centuries. Depending on what part of the globe you are in the governments approach to maintaining their control of a nation can vary greatly. This can be anything from a military regime to a more conservative and measured democracy where politicians are voted into power rather than having one individual figurehead at the helm.
Understanding Governments
Governments are put in place in order to ensure that societies and nations can run and operate as a country effectively with some form of rule and guidance.
Without a strong established government in place , a nation can fall into political discourse and potentially even civil war. In the present day there are many examples of nations that have been torn apart by war , political discourse and corruption which has led to serious repercussions for the local populations who live there.
It is important to note that whilst a goverments primary purpose is to manage a country poltically and economically , they are meant to also represent effectively the majority of the population in that particular country.
The most common forms of government in western civilisation are those that have been democratically voted into power. Therefore their duty is to serve the people rather than rule over them which was traditionally the practice of monarchies across Europe for centuries.
Preventing Discourse
There are a variety of different ways in which governments typically look to prevent discourse. One of the main ways in which governments look to prevent discourse is through authoratarian rule. This is one of the more extreme measures taken by governments who are struggling to retain their grip on power.
One of the most significant uprisings happening as a result of public discourse and political issues has been the Kiev uprisings. In Kiev millions took to the streets to protest against corruption within the government. The government was eventually toppled and a new one imposed. However Russia then moved to annex part of Crimea in order to try and shore up its interests within that particular region.
The Ukrainian government decided to take a radical protest to tackle the unrest which led to violence and sadly numerous deaths. This is a classic example of a government being over-zealous in their reaction to public discourse and failing to tackle the issue in a fair and civilised manner.
Managing Discourse
In order to manage discourse effectively , one of the most effective and important measures that can be taken is to ensure that a country can be governed as normal is to prevent it from occuring in the first place.
Often discourse can result from a number of issues being suppressed or ignored by central government. It is important that governments maintain dialogue with citizens where possible in order to prevent this issue from escalating into political and social discourse.
This can be achieved through meetings with goverments and citizens as well as renewed calls for change through political means across every level of government.