What exactly is democracy?

What exactly is democracy?

Democracy (Greek: δημοκρατία, dēmokratiā, from dēmos ‘people’ and kratos ‘rule’) is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (“direct democracy”), or to choose governing officials to do so (“representative democracy”).

Why is it called democracy?

The word ‘democracy’ has its origins in the Greek language. It combines two shorter words: ‘demos’ meaning whole citizen living within a particular city-state and ‘kratos’ meaning power or rule. A belief in shared power: based on a suspicion of concentrated power (whether by individuals, groups or governments).

What is democracy?

Democracy, which derives from the Greek word demos, or people, is defined, basi- cally, as government in which the supreme power is vested in the people. In some forms, democracy can be exercised directly by the people; in large societies, it is by the people through their elected agents.

Where does the word democracy come from in Greek?

Democracy, literally, rule by the people. The term is derived from the Greek dēmokratia, which was coined from dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century bce to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens.

Is democracy a process of Arbitration?

This conception of democracy as a process of arbitration between conflicting components of social life involves something more than the idea of majority government. It implies above all recognition of one component by another, and of each component by all the others, and hence an awareness both of the similarities and the differences between them.

Is democracy a promise or a challenge?

In Thomas Jefferson s ringing but shrewd phrase, the promise of democracy is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Democracy is then both a promise and a challenge.