Education: The Democracy Factor Throughout human history, almost every major event has been influenced by the type of authority involved. The ancient Egyptians were oppressed by an absolute ruler and saved by the hope of freedom. Both World War I and World War II were heavily influenced by political and personal ideals. The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were fueled by extremist anger against America's “evil” capitalist and pro-democracy beliefs. The factor that decides the level of democracy or authoritarianism of a country is the average level of education of its citizens. More specifically, the less educated the citizens are, the more authoritarian the government will be. Because they are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum, France and North Korea can demonstrate through their history and current events that education is the fundamental foundation for determining how authoritarian or democratic a country is. What is education? Authoritarianism is defined as “expecting or requiring people to obey rules or laws, not allowing personal freedom” (Merriam-Webster). Democracy: “an organization or situation in which all are treated equally and have equal rights” (Merriam-Webster). Both sets of ideals, actions and beliefs are ultimately decided by education. What is education and what does it mean for a person to be educated? If one were to think about the traditional sense of education consisting of math, science and language, North Korea, which holds a “Freedom House” score of 7 (the most authoritarian score possible) might seem like the most educated country. While both France and North Korea have literacy rates above 99% (World by Map), the educational process is held to a much higher standard in No... middle of paper... citizens. Ideas and knowledge of other cultures led to the eventual democratization of France. Unfortunately, the history and current state of North Korea says that citizens will not learn what true freedom is in the foreseeable future. Education leads to revolution and revolution leads to government by the people. Ultimately, however, simply being educated about the possibilities and promise of freedom does not guarantee democracy. This statement is true for whatever factor can be cited in favor of the cause of democracy, be it the distribution of wealth or racial diversity. Achieving democracy requires courage and the will to defend what every human being deserves. Governments don't democratize without a little push from their citizens. Once people learn what they could have and what is possible, courage will always follow.