What is Democracy?

Question

What is Democracy?

Answer

Democracy can be defined as the rule of the majority. It originated in Ancient Athens where all adult male citizens could vote in the Athenian assembly on all political matters. This form of democracy was known as direct democracy as all citizens had equal say and were able to take part in the political decision making process at its very core. Following the fall of the Athenian empire, a system such as this has not be able to be replicated and instead, modern democracy has been constructed in the form of a representative democracy. One example of this would be the British Parliament where the entire adult population of the country is allowed to vote for who they want to make their political decisions for them; once elected, these members of parliament are accountable to the British electorate and can be voted out at a later date if the public believe someone else can do a better job. Direct democracy can however, still be seen in the modern day in the form of referendums, yet these are relatively rare. This is where the electorate of a nation votes on a single issue in the hope of gaining a definitive understanding of public opinion.

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