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Nature Of Democracy

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“Outline and critically assess the history and nature of democracy.”

Abraham Lincoln, a former US president (1809-1865) defined democracy as “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Although over time it is debated how effective democracy really is. In my essay I will assess the history and nature of democracy to establish its effectiveness and benefits to the people. Through my research I have established a more modern informal definition to democracy. Democracy is a form of government where a constitution as written by the people outlines what basic, personal and political rights the people should be guaranteed. It also is in favour of fair and free elections and independent courts of law.
The word democracy itself comes from the Greek term containing two words, demos meaning the citizens within a city state, and katos meaning the power of rule. Many modern political theorists look back positively on the Greek city states. They believed that Greece provided a model of democracy in which modern liberal democracy’s fall short off. Direct democracy was made possible as women slaves and foreigners did all the work so other citizens could partake in democracy and politics. Jury service was also a feature of these Greek cities. This gave all citizens a chance to see the justice system in action and to get involved. The ideas and theories of democracy in Greece at this time are indeed looked upon positively by many modern day political theorists, although

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