ABSTRACT
During times of stability democracy may justify the legacy and continuity of a political system, and it frequently has been associated with a practice of political bargaining and consensus as well as the preservation of individual freedoms and rights in the society at large. In Democracy Theory, Giovanni Sartori offers a starting point in developing a generally accepted understanding of representative democracy. Forms of representation usually are associated with capitalism and most understandings of democracy but participatory forms also have appeared under socialism. Both the theoretical literature and historical experiences about democracy relate to both capitalism and socialism. A set of minimum conditions for modern political democracy such as pluralism, freedom of expression, and political preference shape the conception of Robert Dahl in his A Preface to Democratic Theory. The Students for a Democratic Society, especially under the influence of Tom Hayden, stressed participatory democracy.
