"DEMOCRACY: Democratic government and democratic ideals" A general overview of democracy, the contemporary understanding of democracy with reference to governmental issues and democratic ideals.

Democracy, in Greek, is derived from demokratia, the root meanings of which are demos (people) and kratos (rule). Generally, it means a form of government in which, in contradistinction to monarchies and aristocracies, the people rule. There is no clear-cut, universal definition of democracy and most definitions of democracy focus on qualities, procedures and institutions. It is perhaps better conceived as two aspects of the same thing that can not be separated with clear lines. …

…issues will receive a better opportunity for deliberation, debate and resolution than they would under alternative regimes.' (Held, 1997:297-298) REFERENCES -Dahl R. A. Democracy and its Critics. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989 -Giddens A. Reith Lectures, 1999, http://www.lse.ac.uk/Giddens/RWDlectures.htm -Held D. Models of Democracy, Stanford:Stanford University Press, 1997 -Raphael D. D. Problems of Political Philosophy, London: MacMillan Press, 1990 -Sartori, G. The Theory of Democracy Revisited, New Jersey: Chatham House, 1987