Perhaps the most widly studied form of government, the democratic government was considered the "Great Experiment" when the United State broke from Great Britain.
A democracy is pretty simple, and can be described as "rule by the people," "majority rule," and "rule by many." It is based on the principles of equality before the law and in access to power, and entitlement to freedoms secured by a constitution.
As there are many types of authoritarian governments, so are there many types of democracies. The ancient Greek republic of Athens is a good example of a direct democracy, where each man had a vote. The Roman republic and American democracy are examples of representative democracies, where representatives are elected by the people of a certain area to represent them in Congress.
Good questions to ask when making a Democracy are:
1) Is it a direct democracy or a representative democracy?
2) How are votes cast? (Secret ballots? Show of hands?)
3) Is there a central leader? (Think President of United States)
4) How is the power divided? (Legislative, Judicial, Executive as in the U.S. or some other type of division?)
5) How long are the terms? (Life, 2 years, 4 years, 8, 6?)
About the Author
- T. S. Rider
- A long time author, T. S. Rider enjoys good storytelling and fantastical tales of great deeds and mythical beasts. This reflects strongly in her own writing, which is dominated by dragons, unicorns, and creatures of her own immagination. "To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour." - William Blake
