What is Democracy?

Definition of Democracy

Democracy is derived from the Greek words demos (people) and kratos (rule). It means a government that is ruled by the citizens of the society. People vote on issues as a group.

Features of Democratic Government :

• Representatives are elected by the people.
• Every citizen is allowed to vote in the elections.
• Everyone has the same political rights, whatever their income, race, religion, etc
• The majority party makes the decisions but individual rights (freedom of speech) are also protected.
• Certain restrictions are placed on law makers’ powers and they can only be in office for a limited amount of time.

Types of Democracy

Direct Democracy

• Each citizen votes on all important matters.
• Switzerland has a direct democratic government. Citizens can accept or reject decisions made by the legislative body.
• This kind of democracy is suitable for small states with few people. Suppose you decide to form a club. You and the other members decide that each one of you will vote on matters concerning the club. This is an example of direct democracy.

Representative Democracy

• Supposing your club has so many members that you all can’t meet at the same time, to vote on matters. You all hold elections to elect representatives like a Director and a Treasurer to run the club on an everyday basis, on your behalf. This is an example of representative democracy.
• In the federal republic of USA, people elect the government officials who act on behalf of their constituencies.

History of Democracy

• Democratic government first came into place in Greece.
• In the Middle Ages, feudalism allowed people to protect their rights in courts.
• Later, the Magna Carta (a British document) had 63 clauses that allowed people to have a fair trial and gave them more power than they had before.
• Thomas Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” in USA in 1776 created a stronger and proper democratic government.

To know more about the different Types of Governments visit https://mocomi.com/types-of-government/
To read more interesting Civics articles for kids, visit: https://mocomi.com/learn/civics/