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The word 'democracy' is derived from two ancient Greek words: demos (the people) and Kratos (strength). In simple terms, democracy means that, political power is ultimately in the hands of the whole adult population, and that no similar group has the right to rule. In the light of the above we can say that democracy means `rule of the people'. Another succinct definition of democracy is that which Abraham Lincoln gave at Gettysburg, pa., in 1863: "government of the people, by the people and for the people". In modern political systems, the term democracy is usually taken to mean universal suffrage, free elections and governance with the consent of the governed. In short, democracy is a form of government in which the people, either directly or indirectly, take part in governing. However, the term is sometimes also used as a measurement of how much influence people have over their government, or how much freedom exists.
As is generally known, democracy means rule by the people, and it can refer to direct, participatory, and representative forms of rule by the people. Today, the term has a worldwide connotation, so much so that political systems that have very little or even no participation by the people, are also called democratic. In 1877 an American scholar describing the ideal society wrote: "Democracy in government, brotherhood in society, equality in rights and privileges, and universal education, foreshadow the most higher plane of society to which experience, intelligence and knowledge are steadily tending". Therefore Democracy is a system in which political power is transferred through elections held at regular intervals, and people choose their representatives from two or more parties in elections.
Democracy has many aspects, e.g. political, economic and social, but it has been proved that if political democracy is practiced for a long time it also leads to social and economic democracy. John Dunn has defined democracy as a word, an idea, and has pointed out that there are several manifest and latent practices associated with that idea and word. He also opines that democracy is not only associated with liberalism and freedom but with human rights and economic prosperity. Georg Sorensen also points out that if one wants to gauge the success or failure of democracy in...