Legacies of Democracy

The Legacies of Democracy in Today’s World: How Ancient Greece has Affected Us Today Democracy to some may be one of the most important things in the present day, and is the premier style of government that makes way for freedom and power to the people unlike other governments. Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president has dubbed it, “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people.” It is a system of government where people decide who their leader shall be and also have a say in all government affairs. Little do people know that it is originated from Ancient Athens and Solon (594 BC), Cleisthenes (508/7 BC), and Ephialtes (462 BC) all contributed to the development of Athenian Democracy.

In Ancient Athens they had a very similar form of government and were the first ones to use “Democracy” or “power of the people.” We might ask, what is the reason this form of management is so popular that approximately 123 countries out of 193-195 countries in the world use it as their own? The answer is simple really, with Monarchy there is the possibility of tyranny, and Communism could work if the people would actually like it. Democracy is the government that has not only been one of the most successful types, but also is the favorite of the people due to a togetherness of the whole country in which all participate in decision-making. Another thing is that Democracy may have been based on Ancient Athens version, but it improves over time and excels what it ever was due to the fact that amendments and laws can be added or taken away by a popular vote. Democracy has shown to be prosperous enough to not only keep the country it works with thriving, but helps bring Democracy to others entangled in worse governments such as Totalitarianism.