Democracy is a form of government in which all citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal (and more or less direct) participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law. It can also encompass social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination. According to some theories of democracy, popular sovereignty is the founding principle of such a system. However, the democratic principle has also been expressed as "the freedom to call something into being which did not exist before, which was not given and which therefore, strictly speaking, could not be known." This type of freedom, which is connected to human "natality," or the capacity to begin anew, sees democracy as "not only a political system [but] an ideal, an aspiration, really, intimately connected to and dependent upon a picture of what it is to be humanof what it is a human should be to be fully human." While there is no specific, universally accepted definition of democracy, equality and freedom have both been identified as important characteristics of democracy since ancient times. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to legislative processes. For example, in a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, no unreasonable restrictions can apply to anyone seeking to become a representative, and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution. There are several varieties of democracy, some of which provide better representation and more freedom for their citizens than others. However, if any democracy is not structured so as to prohibit the government from excluding the people from the legislative process, or any branch of government from altering the separation of powers in its own favor, then a branch of the system can accumulate too much power and destroy the democracy. Representative Democracy, Consensus Democracy, and Deliberative Democracy are all major examples of attempts at a form of government that is both practical and responsive to the needs and desires of citizens. Many people use the term "democracy" as shorthand for liberal democracy, which may include 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 central attribute, but in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the dominant principle is that of 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 applicable to private organizations and other groups as well. Majority rule is often listed as a characteristic of democracy. However, it is also possible for a minority to be oppressed by a "tyranny of the majority" in the absence of governmental or constitutional protections of individual and/or group rights. An essential part of an "ideal" representative democracy is competitive elections that are fair both substantively and procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press are considered to be essential, so that citizens are adequately informed and able to vote according to their own best interests as they see them. It has also been suggested that a basic feature of democracy is the capacity of individuals to participate freely and fully in the life of their society. The term democracy first appeared in ancient Greek political and philosophical thought. The philosopher Plato contrasted democracy, the system of "rule by the governed", with the alternative systems of monarchy (rule by one individual), oligarchy (rule by a small lite class) and timocracy (ruling class of property owners). Today Classical Athenian democracy is considered by many to have been a direct democracy. Originally it had two distinguishing features: first the allotment (selection by lot) of ordinary citizens to the few government offices and the courts, and secondarily the assembly of all the citizens. All citizens were eligible to speak and vote in the assembly, which set the laws of the city-state. However, Athenian citizens were all-male, born from parents who were born in Athens, and excluded women, slaves, foreigners and males under 20 years old. Of the perhaps 250,000 inhabitants only a small plurality were citizens. The (elected) generals often held influence in the assembly. Pericles was, during his many years of de-facto political leadership, once elected general 15 years in a row. A possible example of primitive democracy may have been the early Sumerian city-states.A similar proto-democracy or oligarchy existed temporarily among the Medes (ancient Iranian people) in the 6th century BC, but which came to an end after the Achaemenid (Persian) Emperor Darius the Great declared that the best monarchy was better than the best oligarchy or best democracy. Although the term "democracy" is not often used for civilizations outside of Europe in ancient times there were organizations of government very akin to democracy in some African societies such as the Igbo nation of what is now Nigeria. A serious claim for early democratic institutions comes from the independent "republics" of India, sanghas and ganas, which existed as early as the 6th century BC and persisted in some areas until the 4th century AD. The evidence is scattered and no pure historical source exists for that period. In addition, Diodorus (a Greek historian at the time of Alexander the Greats excursion of India), without offering any detail, mentions that independent and democratic states existed in India. However, modern scholars note that the word democracy at the 3rd century BC and later had been degraded and could mean any autonomous state no matter how oligarchic it was. The lack of the concept of citizen equality across caste system boundaries has led many scholars to believe that the true nature of ganas and sanghas would not be comparable to that of truly democratic institutions. Even though the Roman Republic contributed significantly to certain aspects of democracy, only a minority of Romans were citizens with votes in elections for representatives. The votes of the powerful were given more weight through a system of Gerrymandering, so most high officials, including members of the Senate, came from a few wealthy and noble families. However, many notable exceptions did occur. | La démocratie renvoie, d'une part, à l'idéal d'une forme de gouvernement légitimée par le consentement et la participation de la majorité des citoyens - le pouvoir du peuple. L'histoire de la démocratie est étroitement liée au développement de l'idée de droit naturel, elle-même intimement liée au concept de droits de l'homme. C'est sur la base des droits naturels que s'est développée l'idée d'égalité des personnes libres, qui se reflète dans les premières formes de sociétés démocratiques. Initialement, le droit de participer au gouvernement dépendait du statut social : seuls les citoyens libres possédaient ces droits, ce qui excluait les esclaves, les femmes et les non-citoyens (par exemple, les étrangers). La démocratie athénienne antique est considérée comme la première réalisation démocratique de l'histoire. Elle fut établie après une lutte acharnée entre la noblesse et les riches et le peuple, et accordait à tous les citoyens athéniens de sexe masculin âgés de plus de 20 ans le droit de participer au gouvernement. Le nombre de citoyens à part entière était estimé entre 30 000 et 40 000 hommes. Pour les décisions importantes, telles que... Pour des questions comme la guerre et la paix, la présence d'au moins 6 000 personnes était requise. Les fonctionnaires (par exemple, les archontes) étaient initialement désignés par tirage au sort, à l'exception des stratèges, responsables de l'armée et jouant un rôle majeur en temps de guerre. En raison du mécontentement d'une grande partie de la population de la Grèce continentale à la fin de la période archaïque (VIIe et VIe siècles av. J.-C.) et de l'existence d'une pensée politique indépendante et publique, l'isonomie, précurseur de la démocratie, a émergé. Ce développement s'est accéléré, notamment grâce aux succès des cités grecques libres pendant les guerres médiques, et a abouti à la démocratie athénienne, où les citoyens d'Athènes avaient la possibilité de participer à un ordre politique fondé sur une participation sociale plus large. La République romaine, jusqu'à son remplacement progressif et continu par le Principat, a également mis en place une société aux éléments démocratiques rudimentaires, fondée sur l'idée de l'égalité des hommes libres dans l'élection des magistrats républicains, bien que le principe oligarchique y fût dominant. En revanche, l'historien Fergus Millar adopte un point de vue différent, interprétant la République romaine davantage comme un État de démocratie directe. Cependant, la réalisation historique la plus significative de Rome fut probablement l'établissement d'une forme primitive d'État constitutionnel, un concept étroitement lié à notre conception moderne de la démocratie. Marcus Tullius Cicéron romanisa le terme " démocratie " en *civitas popularis* (De re publica, I), faisant ainsi du terme de la fin de la République désignant la faction des populaires l'étymologie de la forme de gouvernement correspondante. Selon Cicéron, cette forme de gouvernement est convaincante en raison de la liberté dont jouissent ses citoyens, même s'il perçoit constamment cette liberté comme menacée par le risque d'une domination populaire incontrôlée. | Die Demokratie bezeichnet einerseits das Ideal einer durch die Zustimmung der Mehrheit der Bürger und die Beteiligung der Bürger legitimierten Regierungsform, der Volksherrschaft. Die Geschichte der Demokratie ist eng verknüpft mit der Entwicklung der Idee des Naturrechts, die wiederum eng verwandt ist mit dem Begriff der Menschenrechte. Ausgehend von den Naturrechten wurde die Idee der Gleichberechtigung der Freien entwickelt, die sich in den frühen Ansätzen demokratischer Gesellschaften wiederfindet. Die Mitgestaltungsbefugnisse eines Menschen hingen zunächst vom Status der Person ab: Nur freie Bürger hatten diese Rechte inne was Sklaven, Frauen und Nicht-Bürger (z.B. Ausländer) ausschloss. Als erste Verwirklichung einer Demokratie in der Geschichte wird die antike Attische Demokratie angesehen, die nach heftigem Ringen des Adels und der Reichen mit dem einfachen Volk errichtet wurde und allen männlichen Vollbürgern der Stadt Athen Mitbestimmung in der Regierung gewährte, wenn man über 20 Jahre alt war. Die Anzahl der Vollbürger betrug etwa 30.000 bis 40.000 Männer. Bei wichtigen Entscheidungen, z. B. über Krieg und Frieden, mussten mindestens 6.000 anwesend sein. Beamte (z. B. die Archonten) wurden ursprünglich durch das Los bestimmt abgesehen von den Strategen, welche für die Armee zuständig waren und im Krieg eine große Rolle spielten. Aufgrund der Unzufriedenheit breiter Bevölkerungsschichten im griechischen Mutterland in spätarchaischer Zeit (7. und 6. Jahrhundert v. Chr.) und des Vorhandenseins unabhängigen und öffentlichen politischen Denkens, kam es zuerst zur Vorstufe der Demokratie, der Isonomie. Nicht zuletzt aufgrund der Erfolge der freien griechischen Poleis während der Perserkriege wurde diese Entwicklung beschleunigt und fand ihren Endpunkt in der attischen Demokratie, in der die Bürger in Athen die Möglichkeit bekamen, in einer auf breiteren Schichten basierenden politischen Ordnung mitzuwirken. Auch die Römische Republik verwirklichte bis zur schrittweisen, kontinuierlichen Ablösung durch den Prinzipat eine Gesellschaft mit rudimentären demokratischen Elementen, basierend auf der Idee der Gleichberechtigung der Freien bei der Wahl der republikanischen Magistrate, wenn auch das oligarchische Prinzip bestimmend war. Andererseits vertritt der Historiker Fergus Millar einen anderen Standpunkt und interpretiert die Römische Republik viel mehr als eine Art direkt-demokratisches Staatswesen. Die historisch bedeutendere Leistung Roms dürfte allerdings die Etablierung einer frühen Form eines Rechtsstaats sein, einem Konzept, das ebenfalls eng mit unserem heutigen Demokratieverständnis zusammenhängt. Bei Marcus Tullius Cicero wird der Begriff der Demokratie als civitas popularis romanisiert (De re publica, I), womit die spätrepublikanische Bezeichnung der Parteiung der Popularen zum Namensgeber der entsprechenden Verfassungsform wird. Nach Cicero besticht diese Herrschaftsform durch die Freiheit, welche die Bürger in ihr genießen, wobei er diese aber auch stets durch die Gefahr der Zügellosigkeit der Masse bedroht sieht. | La democrazia si riferisce, da un lato, all'ideale di una forma di governo legittimata dal consenso della maggioranza dei cittadini e dalla loro partecipazione: il governo del popolo. La storia della democrazia è strettamente legata allo sviluppo dell'idea di diritto naturale, che a sua volta è strettamente connessa al concetto di diritti umani. Sulla base dei diritti naturali, si è sviluppata l'idea dell'uguaglianza delle persone libere, che si riflette nelle prime forme di società democratiche. Inizialmente, il diritto di una persona a partecipare al governo dipendeva dal suo status: solo i cittadini liberi possedevano tali diritti, il che escludeva schiavi, donne e non cittadini (ad esempio, stranieri). L'antica democrazia ateniese è considerata la prima realizzazione di democrazia nella storia. Essa si instaurò dopo un'aspra lotta tra la nobiltà, i ricchi e il popolo, e garantì a tutti i cittadini maschi di Atene il diritto di parola nel governo, a condizione che avessero più di 20 anni. Il numero di cittadini a pieno titolo era di circa 30.000-40.000 uomini. Per decisioni importanti, come... Per questioni come la guerra e la pace, dovevano essere presenti almeno 6.000 persone. I funzionari (ad esempio, gli arconti) venivano originariamente scelti per sorteggio, con l'eccezione degli strateghi, che erano responsabili dell'esercito e svolgevano un ruolo importante in guerra. A causa del malcontento di ampi segmenti della popolazione nella Grecia continentale durante il tardo periodo arcaico (VII e VI secolo a.C.) e dell'esistenza di un pensiero politico indipendente e pubblico, emerse il precursore della democrazia, l'isonomia. Questo sviluppo fu accelerato, non da ultimo grazie ai successi delle poleis greche libere durante le guerre persiane, e culminò nella democrazia ateniese, in cui ai cittadini di Atene fu data l'opportunità di partecipare a un ordine politico basato su una più ampia partecipazione sociale. Anche la Repubblica Romana, fino alla sua graduale e continua sostituzione con il Principato, instaurò una società con elementi democratici rudimentali, basata sull'idea dell'uguaglianza degli uomini liberi nell'elezione dei magistrati repubblicani, sebbene il principio oligarchico fosse dominante. D'altra parte, lo storico Fergus Millar adotta un punto di vista diverso, interpretando la Repubblica Romana molto più come una sorta di stato a democrazia diretta. Tuttavia, il risultato storicamente più significativo di Roma fu probabilmente l'istituzione di una prima forma di stato costituzionale, un concetto strettamente legato alla nostra moderna comprensione della democrazia. Marco Tullio Cicerone romanizzò il termine "democrazia" come *civitas popularis* (De re publica, I), rendendo così il termine tardo repubblicano per la fazione dei popolari l'omonimo della corrispondente forma di governo. Secondo Cicerone, questa forma di governo è attraente per la libertà di cui godono i suoi cittadini, sebbene egli veda anche questa libertà costantemente minacciata dal pericolo di un governo di massa indisciplinato. | Democracia es una forma de organización de grupos de personas, cuya característica predominante es que la titularidad del poder reside en la totalidad de sus miembros, haciendo que la toma de decisiones responda a la voluntad colectiva de los miembros del grupo. En sentido estricto la democracia es una forma de organización del Estado, en la cual las decisiones colectivas son adoptadas por el pueblo mediante mecanismos de participación directa o indirecta que le confieren legitimidad a los representantes. En sentido amplio, democracia es una forma de convivencia social en la que los miembros son libres e iguales y las relaciones sociales se establecen de acuerdo a mecanismos contractuales. La democracia se define también a partir de la clásica clasificación de las formas de gobierno realizada por Platón, primero, y Aristóteles, después, en tres tipos básicos: monarquía (gobierno de uno), aristocracia (gobierno de los mejores para Platón, de los menos, para Aristóteles), democracia (gobierno de la multitud para Platón y de los más, para Aristóteles). Hay democracia directa cuando la decisión es adoptada directamente por los miembros del pueblo. Hay democracia indirecta o representativa cuando la decisión es adoptada por personas reconocidas por el pueblo como sus representantes. Por último, hay democracia participativa cuando se aplica un modelo político que facilita a los ciudadanos su capacidad de asociarse y organizarse de tal modo que puedan ejercer una influencia directa en las decisiones públicas o cuando se facilita a la ciudadanía amplios mecanismos plebiscitarios. Estas tres formas no son excluyentes y suelen integrarse como mecanismos complementarios. No debe confundirse República con Democracia, pues aluden a principios distintos, la república es el gobierno de la ley mientras que democracia significa el gobierno de la mayoría.[PARAGRAPH:2] El término democracia proviene del antiguo griego y fue acuñado en Atenas en el siglo V a. C. a partir de los vocablos demos, que puede traducirse como pueblo y krátos, que puede traducirse como poder. Sin embargo la significación etimológica del término es mucho más compleja. El término demos parece haber sido un neologismo derivado de la fusión de las palabras demiurgos (demiurgi) y geomoros (geomori). El historiador Plutarco señalaba que los geomoros y demiurgos, eran junto a los eupátridas, las tres clases en las que Teseo dividió a la población libre del Ática (adicionalmente la población estaba integrada también por los metecos, esclavos y las mujeres). Los eupátridas eran los nobles; los demiurgos eran los artesanos; y los geomoros eran los campesinos. Estos dos últimos grupos, en creciente oposición a la nobleza, formaron el demos. Textualmente entonces, democracia significa gobierno de los artesanos y campesinos, excluyendo del mismo expresamente a los esclavos y a los nobles. Algunos pensadores consideran a la democracia ateniense como el primer ejemplo de un sistema democrático. Otros pensadores han criticado esta conclusión, argumentando por un lado que tanto en la organización tribal como en antiguas civilizaciones en todo el mundo existen ejemplos de sistemas políticos democráticos, y por otro lado que solo una pequeña minoría del 10% de la población tenía derecho a participar de la llamada democracia ateniense, quedando automáticamente excluidos la mayoría de trabajadores, campesinos, esclavos y las mujeres. De todas formas, el significado del término ha cambiado con el tiempo, y la definición moderna ha evolucionado mucho, sobre todo desde finales del siglo XVIII, con la sucesiva introducción de sistemas democráticos en muchas naciones y sobre todo a partir del reconocimiento del sufragio universal y del voto femenino en el siglo XX. Hoy en día, las democracias existentes son bastante distintas al sistema de gobierno ateniense del que heredan su nombre. |