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What is Democracy?

Democracy definition pertains to the form of government in which the people's power is exercised directly or indirectly. In this regard, "direct democracy" is the form of government where people decide on various policies without any representatives; people hold power and the authority to determine. In "indirect democracies", also known as "representative democracies", some people are elected to represent the rest of the citizens. Different types of democracies exist, and it is often possible to encounter a combination of these diverse types. What is typical and essential in a democracy is the freedom of assembly, association, and speech, voting rights and fair elections; to be considered a democracy, a country also needs to guarantee equality and liberty to every citizen. It also needs to encourage participation, transparency, protection of human rights, and the rule of law. If a state lacks these essential features, it can't be considered democratic.

The definition and the essential characteristic of Democracy are often considered to be related to voting rights, but this idea is just too confined. Voting rights are a simple part of the whole, it is essential, but it is not the entire definition. There are so many different forms of Democracy that it is almost impossible to find one direction and a definition to collect them all. Citizens need to have the same rights and be considered equal before the law; there is often a constitution that protects these rights and freedoms. Several theories try to explain this political system and give a direction to create the pillars on which it is based. Usually, the most important features can be summarized as legal equality, freedom in the political sphere, and the principle of the rule of law.

It is widely known that the word "democracy" derives from a Greek word translated as "the rule of people". Democracy was born in Ancient Greece, specifically in the city of Athens; in ancient times, this form of government wasn't the most widespread. The Athenian Democracy was direct. Only free men (not women or enslaved people) were allowed to speak and vote during assemblies; this happened because the right to be a citizen was related to war activity; who fought in a war, or could do that, was considered an Athenian citizen. These men were involved in every aspect of political life.

Also, during the Roman Republic, the democratic government was significant in society, even if it wasn't perfect or inclusive. Only the Romans from noble and wealthy families were considered citizens and had voting rights. There are a few differences between the Athenian and Roman forms. In the Roman Republic, power was held by the people and their elected representatives. It wasn't a direct democracy, as in Ancient Greece, but it was closer to a representative form.

In different societies, some kinds of Democracy evolved; in societies where different tribes and clans were present, the decisions were made all together during assemblies. Also, during the Middle Age, these types of assemblies and meetings were taking place. But, a turning point in reaching the types of Democracy that we encounter nowadays happened during the Enlightenment years, especially during the French Revolution, which changed the way the nation was thought.

Between the ancient type and the modern version of Democracy, theorists and philosophers have encountered several differences in which the state was conceived: modernization and the rise of capitalism encouraged and allowed a transition from the equality principle, the essential aspect for the ancients, to an increased interest towards liberty and freedom in the modern era.

There are different types of democracies, but with their differences and similarities, all need to hold the same principles. We have previously considered three fundamental features of Democracy: legal equality, political freedom and the rule of law. The first aspect refers to people having the power and the authority. They directly choose the policies, or they choose their representatives, so the control has an upward direction. The second principle refers to equality in the political field, freedom from oppression or coercion and the liberty to freely choose and vote. The rule of law principle refers to the fact that every citizen and institution should be accountable to the same law. The acceptable norms are connected to the other principles. Citizens enjoy diverse rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech, assembly, and opinion.

Throughout history, diverse democratic theories developed and followed one another. In early times, Aristotle developed his theories toward Democracy. His idea was a contrast between the "rule by the many" principle with the "rule by the few" and the "rule by a single person".

In contemporary times, three major ideas developed and evolved which include; aggregative Democracy, deliberative Democracy, and radical Democracy. Different variations of the aggregative Democracy exist, but the main principle is the political system should spur citizens' choices and encourage them to be aggregate to decide which policies should be adopted in society. Deliberative Democracy has a major difference from the aggregative one in that it believes that a decision to be democratically legitimate should follow deliberations, not only the procedure of getting people together to vote. Radical Democracy as a form of government is an inclusive and continuous operation; it is concerned with the radical extension of equality and freedom.

There are several types of Democracy, diverse aspects, and categories of this form of government. In diverse democratic countries, it's possible to encounter diverse elements of this political system, different combinations of democratic characteristics. In practice and theory, it's possible to encounter variations of Democracy. The first classification and the major differentiation can be considered between direct and indirect (Representative) democracy. Direct and representative democracies are the two basic forms, but it is often possible to encounter other forms.

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Democracy Types, Principles and Examples - Study.com