Human Rights, Democracy, and Constitutional Values Explained

Item 5: Human Dignity and Rights

To ensure that respect for human dignity is effective, it must become a duty required of all. Protecting the fundamental rights of our dignity as people is the essence of human rights. The doctrine of human rights serves as the foundation of a universal ethic valid for all humanity.

The Evolution of Human Rights

• Civil Rights: The first to become effective.
• Political Rights: Began to be imposed during the mid-nineteenth century.
• Social Rights: Recognized following the First World War.

Human Rights in the Modern World

Human rights remain an ideal that is unfortunately far from being a reality in all countries. The fragility of these rights in many parts of the world stems from the absence of a democratic culture and conditions of widespread poverty.

Item 6: Understanding Democracy

The word democracy comes from the Greek demokratia, meaning "people power." In a democracy, political power must come from the people themselves and be carefully controlled. Building a democracy requires a democratic attitude.

Modern Democratic Structures

Modern democracy is organized primarily through political representation, which is structured by universal suffrage. Modern democracies are constituted as a democratic state of law.

Item 7: Constitutional Values

The values assumed by the Spanish Constitution are freedom, equality, participation, justice, and solidarity.

Essentials of the Spanish Constitution

The 1978 Constitution was an agreement between the political forces in Spain. It declares that Spain is a social and democratic state of law and establishes that national sovereignty resides in the Spanish people.

The Legal System and Democracy

For a functioning democracy, the system must be well-regulated. From the perspective of the individual, the legal system is a set of rights and duties. The Constitution is the supreme law that underlies the entire political system of the country.