ABSTRACT
Democracy is a nearly universal aspiration woven into the rhetoric and culture of people and nations around the world. A literal definition of democracy begins with the Greek words from which the term is derived- demos, referring to the people, and kratos, referring to political power. Democracy means that the people hold political power, and democracies are characterized by "popular sovereignty". Both democracies and republics share a commitment to individual liberty and equality. In direct democracies, epitomized by the New England town meeting or the Athenian city-state, citizens gather together, consider policy alternatives, and choose among them by majority vote. Democracy is not just about procedures; it also has a cultural dimension. The idea of democracy is contested terrain for political theorists as well as political practitioners. The principle of popular sovereignty and the right of the people to decide their own destiny through their voices and their votes is by now a universally accepted ideal.
