Yes, ancient Athens was an example of a direct democracy. Citizens voted on all issues of public policy.
The city-state of Athens in Ancient Greece
Direct democracy worked in ancient Athens due to its small population and the active participation of citizens in governance. The system allowed eligible male citizens to engage directly in decision-making through assemblies and votes on important issues, fostering a sense of community and responsibility. Furthermore, the cultural emphasis on civic duty and the relatively small geographic area facilitated regular gatherings and discussions, making direct democracy practical and effective.
In ancient Greece Greeks were able to vote in an assembly or by a law making group.In ancient Greece Democracy meant all citizens shared power in some ancient Greek city-states
In ancient Greece Greeks were able to vote in an assembly or by a law making group.In ancient Greece Democracy meant all citizens shared power in some ancient Greek city-states
In a direct democracy, anyone can participate in the government. But in a representative democracy, you must be elected.
In a direct democracy, anyone can participate in the government. But in a representative democracy, you must be elected.
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In a direct democracy, anyone can participate in the government. But in a representative democracy, you must be elected.
No, I don't think direct democracy would work today. I say this because democracy comes with high costs and high risks resulting to conflict and riots.
It is not similar - theirs was an experiment in direct democracy, that is an assembly of the people made all the decisions and a council carried them out. This proved to be unworkable, and today we have representative democracy where elected politicians represent the people and do the work of governing.
We learnt the their model of direct democracy did not work. The gullible people were led astray by demagogues which led to great loss for the people. Our modern representative democracy, for all it's faults, puts a space between poor or self-interested leadership and impulsive action by the people.
In a direct democracy, all eligible citizens gather together to discuss policy and make the laws. Every decision is made by the body of all eligible citizens. In a representative democracy, eligible citizens select individuals to represent them a central location and make government decisions in their interest. The United States is a representative democracy with members of Congress being selected by vote of various groups of people. The Congress gathers and makes the laws. If the United States were to become a direct democracy, the Congress would be abolished and every eligible voter would be asked to vote on every proposed law, approve appointment to office, etc. Some of the ancient Greek city-states (most notably, Athens) were direct democracies, but with the body of eligible voters severely limited to males of a certain age and status.