Democracy is a form of government in which power is held by people under a free electoral system.
Jan 17, 2009
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<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading">Democracy</h1>
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<div class="dablink">For other uses, see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_%28disambiguation%29" title="Democracy (disambiguation)">Democracy (disambiguation)</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party" title="Democratic Party">Democratic Party</a>.</div>
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<td style="font-size: 85%; line-height: 1.2em; padding-top: 0.2em;">This article is part of the<br>
<b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics" title="Politics">Politics</a></b> series</td>
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<td class="" style="padding: 0.2em 0.4em; background: rgb(204, 204, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 145%; line-height: 1.15em; font-weight: bold; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">✗ <strong class="selflink">Democracy</strong> ✗</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.2em 0.4em; background: rgb(221, 221, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-weight: bold; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_democracy" title="History of democracy">History</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varieties_of_democracy" title="Varieties of democracy">Varieties</a><br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_types_of_democracy" title="List of types of democracy">List of types</a></td>
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<ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticipatory_democracy" title="Anticipatory democracy">Anticipatory</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy" title="Athenian democracy">Athenian</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_democracy" title="Christian democracy">Christian</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consensus_democracy" title="Consensus democracy">Consensus</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_democracy" title="Constitutional democracy" class="mw-redirect">Constitutional</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliberative_democracy" title="Deliberative democracy">Deliberative</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demarchy" title="Demarchy">Demarchy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy" title="Direct democracy">Direct</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots_democracy" title="Grassroots democracy">Grassroots</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illiberal_democracy" title="Illiberal democracy">Illiberal</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_democracy" title="Islamic democracy">Islamic</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracy" title="Liberal democracy">Liberal</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messianic_democracy" title="Messianic democracy">Messianic</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-partisan_democracy" title="Non-partisan democracy">Non-partisan</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_democracy" title="Participatory democracy">Participatory</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_democracy" title="Religious democracy">Religious</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy" title="Representative democracy">Representative</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_direct_democracy" title="Representative direct democracy" class="mw-redirect">Representative direct</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_democracy" title="Republican democracy">Republican</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_democracy" title="Social democracy">Social</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociocracy" title="Sociocracy">Sociocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_democracy" title="Soviet democracy">Soviet</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totalitarian_democracy" title="Totalitarian democracy">Totalitarian</a></li></ul>
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<div class="noprint plainlinksneverexpand navbar" style="padding: 0pt; background-color: transparent; white-space: nowrap; font-weight: normal; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Democracy" title="Template:Democracy"><span title="View this template" style="">v</span></a> <span style="font-size: 80%;">•</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Democracy" title="Template talk:Democracy"><span style="color: rgb(0, 43, 184);" title="Discussion about this template">d</span></a> <span style="font-size: 80%;">•</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Democracy&action=edit" class="external text" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Democracy&action=edit" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(0, 43, 184);" title="You can edit this template. Please use the preview button before saving.">e</span></a></div>
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<td style="font-size: 85%; line-height: 1.2em; padding-top: 0.2em;">This article is part of the<br>
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<ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchy" title="Anarchy">Anarchy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristocracy" title="Aristocracy">Aristocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarianism" title="Authoritarianism">Authoritarianism</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autocracy" title="Autocracy">Autocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_state" title="Communist state">Communist state</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatocracy" title="Corporatocracy">Corporatocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demarchy" title="Demarchy">Demarchy</a></li><li><strong class="selflink">Democracy</strong>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy" title="Direct democracy">Direct</a><br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy" title="Representative democracy">Representative</a></div>
</li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Despotism" title="Despotism">Despotism</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictatorship" title="Dictatorship">Dictatorship</a>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_dictatorship" title="Military dictatorship">Military</a></div>
</li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism" title="Feudalism">Feudalism</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kritocracy" title="Kritocracy">Kritocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logocracy" title="Logocracy">Logocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy" title="Meritocracy">Meritocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minarchism" title="Minarchism">Minarchism</a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_watchman_state" title="Night watchman state">Night Watchman</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy" title="Monarchy">Monarchy</a>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_monarchy" title="Absolute monarchy">Absolute</a><br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy" title="Constitutional monarchy">Constitutional</a></div>
</li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noocracy" title="Noocracy">Noocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochlocracy" title="Ochlocracy">Ochlocracy</a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobocracy" title="Mobocracy" class="mw-redirect">Mobocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy" title="Oligarchy">Oligarchy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutocracy" title="Plutocracy">Plutocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic" title="Republic">Republic</a>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalist_republic" title="Capitalist republic">Capitalist</a><br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_republic" title="Constitutional republic">Constitutional</a><br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_republic" title="Parliamentary republic">Parliamentary</a></div>
</li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_state" title="Socialist state">Socialist state</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociocracy" title="Sociocracy">Sociocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technocracy_%28bureaucratic%29" title="Technocracy (bureaucratic)">Technocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theocracy" title="Theocracy">Theocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodemocracy" title="Theodemocracy">Theodemocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timocracy" title="Timocracy">Timocracy</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totalitarianism" title="Totalitarianism">Totalitarianism</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe" title="Tribe">Tribe</a>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiefdom" title="Chiefdom">Chiefdom</a></div>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 352px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Democracy_claims_2.PNG" class="image" title="Since World War II, democracy has gained widespread acceptance. This map displays the official self identification made by world governments with regard to democracy, as of March 2008. It shows the de jure status of democracy in the world. Governments self identified as democratic Governments not self identified as democratic."><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Democracy_claims_2.PNG/350px-Democracy_claims_2.PNG" class="thumbimage" border="0" width="350" height="162"></a>
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Since World War II, democracy has gained widespread acceptance. This
map displays the official self identification made by world governments
with regard to democracy, as of March 2008. It shows the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_jure" title="De jure" class="mw-redirect">de jure</a></i> status of democracy in the world. <span style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; font-size: 90%; display: block;"><span style="border: medium none rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"> </span> Governments self identified as democratic</span> <span style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; font-size: 90%; display: block;"><span style="border: medium none rgb(255, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 0, 0); color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> </span> Governments not self identified as democratic.</span></div>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 352px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freedom_House_2008_-_electoral_democracies,_free,_partially_free_and_not-free_countries.gif" class="image" title="Political ratings of countries according to Freedom House's Freedom in the World survey, 2008: Free, electoral democracies Partially free, electoral democracies Partially free, not electoral democracies Not free, not electoral democracies "><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Freedom_House_2008_-_electoral_democracies%2C_free%2C_partially_free_and_not-free_countries.gif" class="thumbimage" border="0" width="350" height="162"></a>
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Political ratings of countries according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_House" title="Freedom House">Freedom House</a>'s <a href="http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2008" class="external text" title="http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2008" rel="nofollow">Freedom in the World</a> survey, 2008:
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<td><span style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; font-size: 90%; display: block;"><span style="border: medium none rgb(0, 102, 204); background-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); color: rgb(0, 102, 204);"> </span> Free, electoral democracies</span> <span style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; font-size: 90%; display: block;"><span style="border: medium none rgb(153, 204, 255); background-color: rgb(153, 204, 255); color: rgb(153, 204, 255);"> </span> Partially free, electoral democracies</span></td>
<td><span style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; font-size: 90%; display: block;"><span style="border: medium none rgb(204, 153, 153); background-color: rgb(204, 153, 153); color: rgb(204, 153, 153);"> </span> Partially free, not electoral democracies</span> <span style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; font-size: 90%; display: block;"><span style="border: medium none rgb(153, 0, 51); background-color: rgb(153, 0, 51); color: rgb(153, 0, 51);"> </span> Not free, not electoral democracies</span></td>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 352px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freedom_House_Country_Rankings_1972-2005.png" class="image" title="This graph shows Freedom House's evaluation of the number of nations in the different categories given above for the period for which there are surveys, 1972-2005"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Freedom_House_Country_Rankings_1972-2005.png/350px-Freedom_House_Country_Rankings_1972-2005.png" class="thumbimage" border="0" width="350" height="181"></a>
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This graph shows <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_House" title="Freedom House">Freedom House</a>'s
evaluation of the number of nations in the different categories given
above for the period for which there are surveys, 1972-2005</div>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 352px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Polity_data_series_map_2003.png" class="image" title="This is one attempted measurement of democracy called the Polity IV data series. This map shows the data presented in the polity IV data series report as of 2003. The lightest countries get a perfect score of 10, while the darkest countries (Saudi Arabia and Qatar), considered the least democratic, score -10."><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Polity_data_series_map_2003.png/350px-Polity_data_series_map_2003.png" class="thumbimage" border="0" width="350" height="162"></a>
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This is one attempted measurement of democracy called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polity_IV" title="Polity IV" class="mw-redirect">Polity IV data series</a>.
This map shows the data presented in the polity IV data series report
as of 2003. The lightest countries get a perfect score of 10, while the
darkest countries (Saudi Arabia and Qatar), considered the least
democratic, score -10.</div>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 352px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Number_of_nations_1800-2003_scoring_8_or_higher_on_Polity_IV_scale.png" class="image" title="Number of nations 1800-2003 scoring 8 or higher on Polity IV scale, another widely used measure of democracy."><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Number_of_nations_1800-2003_scoring_8_or_higher_on_Polity_IV_scale.png/350px-Number_of_nations_1800-2003_scoring_8_or_higher_on_Polity_IV_scale.png" class="thumbimage" border="0" width="350" height="207"></a>
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Number of nations 1800-2003 scoring 8 or higher on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polity_IV" title="Polity IV" class="mw-redirect">Polity IV</a> scale, another widely used measure of democracy.</div>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 352px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Democracyindex2.png" class="image" title="Democracy Index as published in January, 2007. The palest blue countries get a score above 9.5 out of 10 (with Sweden being the most democratic country at 9.88), while the black countries score below 2 (with North Korea being the least democratic at 1.03)."><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Democracyindex2.png/350px-Democracyindex2.png" class="thumbimage" border="0" width="350" height="162"></a>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index" title="Democracy Index">Democracy Index</a> as published in January, 2007. The palest blue countries get a score above 9.5 out of 10 (with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden" title="Sweden">Sweden</a> being the most democratic country at 9.88), while the black countries score below 2 (with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea" title="North Korea">North Korea</a> being the least democratic at 1.03).</div>
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<p><b>Democracy</b> is a form of government in which power is held by people under a free electoral system. It is derived from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language" title="Greek language">Greek</a> <i>δημοκρατία</i> (<span class="IPA nounderlines" style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media:Ell-Dimokratia.ogg" title="Media:Ell-Dimokratia.ogg"><img alt="Ell-Dimokratia.ogg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Loudspeaker.svg/11px-Loudspeaker.svg.png" border="0" width="11" height="11"></a> <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Ell-Dimokratia.ogg" class="internal" title="Ell-Dimokratia.ogg"><span title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)" class="IPA">[<i>dimokratia</i>]</span></a> <small class="metadata">(<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Media_help" title="Wikipedia:Media help">help</a>·<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ell-Dimokratia.ogg" title="File:Ell-Dimokratia.ogg">info</a>)</small></span>), "popular government"<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-0" title=""><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> which was coined from <i>δήμος</i> (<i>dēmos</i>), "people" and <i>κράτος</i> (<i>kratos</i>),
"rule, strength" in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the
political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Athens" title="Classical Athens">Athens</a> following a popular uprising in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/508_BC" title="508 BC" class="mw-redirect">508 BC</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-BBC1_1-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-BBC1-1" title=""><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<p>In political theory, <i>democracy</i> describes a small number of related <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_forms_of_government" title="List of forms of government">forms of government</a> and also a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_philosophy" title="Political philosophy">political philosophy</a>. Even though there is no universally accepted definition of 'democracy',<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-2" title=""><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a></sup>
there are two principles that any definition of democracy includes. The
first principle is that all members of the society have equal access to
power and the second that all members enjoy universally recognized
freedoms and liberties.<sup id="cite_ref-AristotlePol1317b_3-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-AristotlePol1317b-3" title=""><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-BKMIT_4-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-BKMIT-4" title=""><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-BKHenaff_5-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-BKHenaff-5" title=""><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<p>There are several varieties of democracy some of which provide
better representation and more freedoms for their citizens than others.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-6" title=""><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-7" title=""><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a></sup>
However, if any democracy is not carefully legislated to avoid an
uneven distribution of political power with balances such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powers" title="Separation of powers">separation of powers</a>, then a branch of the system of rule is able to accumulate power in a way that is harmful to democracy itself.<sup id="cite_ref-Barak40_8-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-Barak40-8" title=""><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-9" title=""><span>[</span>10<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-10" title=""><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></a></sup> The "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_rule" title="Majority rule">majority rule</a>" is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy, but without responsible government it is possible for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_rights" title="Minority rights">rights of a minority</a> to be abused by the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyranny_of_the_majority" title="Tyranny of the majority">tyranny of the majority</a>". An essential process in representative democracies are competitive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections" title="Elections" class="mw-redirect">elections</a>, that are fair both substantively<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-11" title=""><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></a></sup> and procedurally<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-12" title=""><span>[</span>13<span>]</span></a></sup>. Furthermore, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_%28political%29" title="Freedom (political)">freedom of political expression</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech" title="Freedom of speech">freedom of speech</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press" title="Freedom of the press">freedom of the press</a> are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal interests.<sup id="cite_ref-Barak27_13-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-Barak27-13" title=""><span>[</span>14<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-14" title=""><span>[</span>15<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_sovereignty" title="Popular sovereignty">Popular sovereignty</a>
is common but not a universal motivating philosophy for establishing a
democracy. In some countries, democracy is based on the philosophical
principle of equal rights. Many people use the term "democracy" as
shorthand for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracy" title="Liberal democracy">liberal democracy</a>, which may include additional elements such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_pluralism" title="Political pluralism" class="mw-redirect">political pluralism</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_law" title="Rule of law">equality before the law</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_petition" title="Right to petition">right to petition</a> elected officials for redress of grievances, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Due_process" title="Due process">due process</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_liberties" title="Civil liberties">civil liberties</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights" title="Human rights">human rights</a>, and elements of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_society" title="Civil society">civil society</a> outside the government. In the United States, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powers" title="Separation of powers">separation of powers</a> is often cited as a supporting attribute, but in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the dominant philosophy is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_sovereignty" title="Parliamentary sovereignty">parliamentary sovereignty</a> (though in practice <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_independence" title="Judicial independence">judicial independence</a> is generally maintained). In other cases, "democracy" is used to mean <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy" title="Direct democracy">direct democracy</a>. Though the term "democracy" is typically used in the context of a political <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State" title="State">state</a>, the principles are also applicable to private <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization" title="Organization">organizations</a> and other groups.</p>
<p>Democracy has its origins in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece" title="Ancient Greece">Ancient Greece</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-BKDunn1992_15-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-BKDunn1992-15" title=""><span>[</span>16<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-BKRaaflaud2007_16-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-BKRaaflaud2007-16" title=""><span>[</span>17<span>]</span></a></sup> However other cultures have significantly contributed to the evolution of democracy such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_India" title="Ancient India">Ancient India</a><sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-17" title=""><span>[</span>18<span>]</span></a></sup>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome" title="Ancient Rome">Ancient Rome</a><sup id="cite_ref-BKDunn1992_15-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-BKDunn1992-15" title=""><span>[</span>16<span>]</span></a></sup>, Europe<sup id="cite_ref-BKDunn1992_15-2" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-BKDunn1992-15" title=""><span>[</span>16<span>]</span></a></sup>, and North and South America.<sup id="cite_ref-isbn0-449-90496-2_18-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-isbn0-449-90496-2-18" title=""><span>[</span>19<span>]</span></a></sup> Democracy has been called the "last form of government" and has spread considerably across the globe.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-19" title=""><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffrage" title="Suffrage">Suffrage</a>
has been expanded in many jurisdictions over time from relatively
narrow groups (such as wealthy men of a particular ethnic group), but
still remains a controversial issue with regard to disputed
territories, areas with significant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration" title="Immigration">immigration</a>, and countries that exclude certain demographic groups.</p>
<table id="toc" class="toc" summary="Contents">
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<h2>Contents</h2>
<span class="toctoggle">[<a href="javascript:toggleToc()" class="internal" id="togglelink">hide</a>]</span></div>
<ul><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#History"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></a>
<ul><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Ancient_origins"><span class="tocnumber">1.1</span> <span class="toctext">Ancient origins</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Middle_Ages"><span class="tocnumber">1.2</span> <span class="toctext">Middle Ages</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#18th_and_19th_centuries"><span class="tocnumber">1.3</span> <span class="toctext">18th and 19th centuries</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#20th_century"><span class="tocnumber">1.4</span> <span class="toctext">20th century</span></a></li></ul>
</li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Forms"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Forms</span></a>
<ul><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Representative"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Representative</span></a>
<ul><li class="toclevel-3"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Parliamentary"><span class="tocnumber">2.1.1</span> <span class="toctext">Parliamentary</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-3"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Liberal"><span class="tocnumber">2.1.2</span> <span class="toctext">Liberal</span></a></li></ul>
</li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Constitutional"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span> <span class="toctext">Constitutional</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Direct"><span class="tocnumber">2.3</span> <span class="toctext">Direct</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Socialist"><span class="tocnumber">2.4</span> <span class="toctext">Socialist</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Anarchist"><span class="tocnumber">2.5</span> <span class="toctext">Anarchist</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Iroquois"><span class="tocnumber">2.6</span> <span class="toctext">Iroquois</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Sortition"><span class="tocnumber">2.7</span> <span class="toctext">Sortition</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Consensus"><span class="tocnumber">2.8</span> <span class="toctext">Consensus</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Interactive"><span class="tocnumber">2.9</span> <span class="toctext">Interactive</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Supranational"><span class="tocnumber">2.10</span> <span class="toctext">Supranational</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Non-governmental"><span class="tocnumber">2.11</span> <span class="toctext">Non-governmental</span></a></li></ul>
</li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Theory"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Theory</span></a>
<ul><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Aristotle"><span class="tocnumber">3.1</span> <span class="toctext">Aristotle</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Conceptions"><span class="tocnumber">3.2</span> <span class="toctext">Conceptions</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Republic"><span class="tocnumber">3.3</span> <span class="toctext">Republic</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Constitutional_monarchs_and_upper_chambers"><span class="tocnumber">3.4</span> <span class="toctext">Constitutional monarchs and upper chambers</span></a></li></ul>
</li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Criticisms"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Criticisms</span></a>
<ul><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Voter_irrationality"><span class="tocnumber">4.1</span> <span class="toctext">Voter irrationality</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Mob_rule"><span class="tocnumber">4.2</span> <span class="toctext">Mob rule</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Moral_decay"><span class="tocnumber">4.3</span> <span class="toctext">Moral decay</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Political_instability"><span class="tocnumber">4.4</span> <span class="toctext">Political instability</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Short-termism"><span class="tocnumber">4.5</span> <span class="toctext">Short-termism</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Conflict_of_interests"><span class="tocnumber">4.6</span> <span class="toctext">Conflict of interests</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Western_influence"><span class="tocnumber">4.7</span> <span class="toctext">Western influence</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Slow_governmental_response"><span class="tocnumber">4.8</span> <span class="toctext">Slow governmental response</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Vote_buying"><span class="tocnumber">4.9</span> <span class="toctext">Vote buying</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Non-democratic_democracies"><span class="tocnumber">4.10</span> <span class="toctext">Non-democratic democracies</span></a></li></ul>
</li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#See_also"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Notes"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">Notes</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#References"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#Further_reading"><span class="tocnumber">8</span> <span class="toctext">Further reading</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#External_links"><span class="tocnumber">9</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></a></li></ul>
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<p><a name="History" id="History"></a></p>
<h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline">History</span></h2>
<dl><dd>
<div class="noprint relarticle mainarticle"><i>Main article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_democracy" title="History of democracy">History of democracy</a></i></div>
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<p><a name="Ancient_origins" id="Ancient_origins"></a></p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Ancient origins">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline">Ancient origins</span></h3>
<p>The term <i>democracy</i> first appeared in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece" title="Ancient Greece">ancient Greek</a> political and philosophical thought. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher" title="Philosopher" class="mw-redirect">philosopher</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato" title="Plato">Plato</a> contrasted <strong class="selflink">democracy</strong>, the system of "rule by the governed", with the alternative systems of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy" title="Monarchy">monarchy</a> (rule by one individual), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy" title="Oligarchy">oligarchy</a> (rule by a small élite class) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timocracy" title="Timocracy">timocracy</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-20" title=""><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup> Although <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy" title="Athenian democracy">Athenian democracy</a>
is today considered by many to have been a form of direct democracy,
originally it had two distinguishing features: firstly the allotment
(selection by lot) of ordinary citizens to government offices and
courts,<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-21" title=""><span>[</span>22<span>]</span></a></sup>
and secondarily the assembly of all the citizens. All the male Athenian
citizens were eligible to speak and vote in the Assembly, which set the
laws of the city-state, citizenship was not granted to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women" title="Women" class="mw-redirect">women</a>, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaves" title="Slaves" class="mw-redirect">slaves</a>.
Of the 250,000 inhabitants only some 30,000 on average were citizens.
Of those 30,000 perhaps 5,000 might regularly attend one or more
meetings of the popular Assembly. Most of the officers and magistrates
of Athenian government were allotted; only the generals (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategoi" title="Strategoi" class="mw-redirect">strategoi</a>) and a few other officers were elected.<sup id="cite_ref-BBC1_1-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-BBC1-1" title=""><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<p>The island of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arwad" title="Arwad">Arwad</a>, settled in the early 2nd millennium BC by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicia" title="Phoenicia">Phoenicians</a>, has been cited<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy&printable=yes#cite_note-22" title=""><span>[</span>23<span>]</span></a></sup>
as one of
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