Free US Law Dictionary

BETA

Democratic

This series is part of
the Politics and the
Forms of government series

• Democracy
• History
• Varieties
• List of types

• Anticipatory democracy
• Athenian democracy
• Christian democracy
• Consensus democracy
• Deliberative democracy
• Demarchy
• Direct democracy
• Grassroots democracy
• Illiberal democracy
• Islamic democracy
• Liberal democracy
• Messianic democracy
• Non-partisan democracy
• Participatory democracy
• Religious democracy
• Representative democracy
• Republican democracy
• Social democracy
• Soviet democracy
• Totalitarian democracy

Politics Portal ·  v • d • e 

For other uses, see Democracy (disambiguation) and Democratic Party. Voting is an important part of the democratic process.

Democracy is a system of government by which political sovereignty is retained by the people and either exercised directly by citizens or through their elected representatives. It is derived by from the Greek δημοκρατία ([demokratia] (help·info)), "popular government"[1] which was coined from δήμος (dēmos), "people" and κράτος (kratos), "rule, strength" in the middle of the 5th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens.[2]

In political theory, democracy describes a small number of related forms of government and also a political philosophy. Even though there is no universally accepted definition of 'democracy',[3] there are two principles that any definition of democracy is required to have. The first principle is that all members of the society have equal access to power and the second that all members enjoy universally recognised freedoms and liberties.[4][5][6]

There are several varieties of democracy, some of which provide better representation and more freedoms for their citizens than others.[7][8] However, if any democracy is not carefully legislated to avoid an uneven distribution of political power with balances such as the separation of powers, then a branch of the system of rule is able to accumulate power in a way that is harmful to democracy itself.[9][10][11] The "majority rule" is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy, but without responsible government it is possible for the rights of a minority to be abused by the "tyranny of the majority". An essential process in representative democracies are competitive elections, that are fair both substantively[12] and procedurally[13]. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal interests.[14][15]

Popular sovereignty 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 liberal democracy, which may include additional elements such as political pluralism, equality before the law, the right to petition elected officials for redress of grievances, due process, civil liberties, human rights, and elements of civil society outside the government. In the United States, separation of powers is often cited as a supporting attribute, but in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the dominant philosophy is parliamentary sovereignty (though in practice judicial independence is generally maintained). In other cases, "democracy" is used to mean direct democracy. Though the term "democracy" is typically used in the context of a political state, the principles are also applicable to private organizations and other groups.

Democracy has its origins in Ancient Greece.[16][17] However other cultures have significant contributed to the evolution of democracy such as Ancient Rome[16], Europe[16], and North and South America.[18] Democracy has been called the "last form of government" and has spread considerably across the globe.[19] Suffrage 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 disputed territories, areas with significant immigration, and countries that exclude certain demographic groups.

Forms of government
Part of the Politics series

List of forms of government

• Anarchism
• Aristocracy
• Authoritarianism
• Autocracy
• Band society
• Chiefdom
• Colony
• Communist state
• Corporatocracy
• Democracy

Direct democracy Representative democracy

• Despotism
• Dictatorship

Military dictatorship

• Feudalism
• Kleptocracy
• Kritarchy
• Krytocracy
• Meritocracy
• Monarchy

Absolute monarchy Constitutional monarchy Empire

• Ochlocracy
• Oligarchy
• Plutocracy
• Puppet state
• Republic

Mixed government Constitutional republic Parliamentary republic Socialist republic Capitalist republic

• Single-party state
• Technocracy
• Theocracy
• Theodemocracy
• Timocracy
• Totalitarianism
• Tribe

Politics Portal This box: view • talk • edit Lawyers and Law Students! Can you improve this definition? Send us your improvements and we'll provide a link back to your website or blog.