Democracy Democracy, as it is used today, means “ the people rule.” A democracy is a form of government that is run by the people of that country through elections and representation. A democracy is really a form of a republic known as a democratic republic. A republic is a government where officials, elected by a small group of people, make the important decisions. Democracy has been around for almost 2500 years since Athens, Greece became the …showed first 75 words of 1613 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1613 total…England into a republic opened the door to many individual freedoms. John Locke, Montisquieu, Roseau, Voltaire, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Paine who helped to shape democracy through their writings, their teachings, and their ideas. Thomas Jefferson who drafted the Declaration of Independence helped to lay the groundwork for the United States of America, which is considered the “benchmark” of democracy. All these people, and many others, made very important contributions to the evolution of democracy.