Where did democracy begin?
Answers
Political Science: Democracy
A wide variety of governing styles exist in the countries of our world. The United States' form of government is a representative democracy, but democracy is not unique to this country. In fact, the idea of giving citizens a voice in government existed long before the United States came into being.
Answer and Explanation:
The ancient city of Athens, Greece (around the 5th century B.C.) is most often credited with the concept of democracy. Regular citizens could offer opinions and vote on the issues of the day. This offered a stark contrast to countries governed by the absolute authority of one leader or an elite group of people.
The word democracy itself has Greek roots: Demos means ''people''; kratos means ''rule'' or ''power.''
It is important to note that there were limits to this ancient form of democracy. Women and slaves did not have a vote or even the chance to offer an opinion. It is also important to note that earlier civilizations might have respected the opinions of their people, but such governments were never named or explained.
Even in Athens, where sophisticated democracy begins, only a small proportion of the community can vote. In the 5th century BC Athens pioneers an experiment in direct democracy, as opposed to the representative democracy of modern societies.