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  3. The liberal view of democratic citizenship that developed in the 17th and 18th centuries was fundamentally different from that o

The liberal view of democratic citizenship that developed in the 17th and 18th centuries was fundamentally different from that o

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问题     The liberal view of democratic citizenship that developed in the 17th and 18th centuries was fundamentally different from that of the classical Greeks. The pursuit of private interests, with as little interference as possible from government, was seen as the road to human happiness and progress rather than the public obligations and involvement in the collective community that were emphasized by the Greeks. Freedom was to be realized by limiting the scope of governmental activity and political obligation and not through immersion(专注于) in the collective life of the polis. The basic role of the citizen was to select governmental leaders and keep the powers and scope of public authority in check. In the liberal view, the rights of citizen against the state were the focus of special emphasis.
    Over time, the liberal democratic notion of citizenship developed in two directions. First, there was movement to increase the proportion of members of society who were eligible(合格的) to participate as citizens — especially through extending the right of suffrage(投票)— and to ensure the basic political equality of all. Second, there was a broadening of the legal activities of government and a use of governmental power to put right imbalances in social and economic life. Political citizenship became an instrument through which groups and classes with sufficient numbers of votes could use the state power to enhance their social and economic well-being.
    Within the general liberal view of democratic citizenship, tensions have developed over the degree to which government can and should be used as an instrument for promoting happiness and well-being. Political philosopher Martin Diamond has classified two views of democracy as follows. On the one hand, there is the "libertarian" perspective that stresses the private pursuit of happiness and emphasizes the necessity for restraint on government and protection of individual liberties. On the other hand, there is the "majoritarian’ view that emphasizes the "task of the government to uplift and aid the common man against the malefactors(作恶者) of great wealth". The tensions between these two views are very evident today. The tax-payer revolts and calls for smaller government and less government regulation clash with demands for greater government involvement in the economic marketplace and the social sphere.
According to the passage, all of the following are characteristics of the liberal idea of government EXCEPT ______.
选项 A、the emphasis on the rights of private citizenship
B、the activities government may lawfully pursue
C、the obligation of citizens to participate in government
D、the size of the geographical area controlled by a government
答案D
解析
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