It was propped up by the money Athens mulcted from its empire - half the population was on the government payroll, it rebuilt the city and financed the arts. And having fortnightly assemblies enabled the citizens to direct all this in detail, with the Council of 500 carrying out these directions. The problem was the orators, who persuaded the Assembly to take unwise or dangerous courses of action.
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.
Town meetings.
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.
Greek democracy was direct - the male citizens met regularly in Assembly and voted on policies and actions of their city-state. Modern democracy is effected by the people electing representatives to a parliament, which votes for them. Direct democracy could only work in a geographically small city-state where the citizens could assemble. Countries today are much larger and this was impracticable. However the rise of computing offers the opportunity to vote through them Don't hold your breath that politicians will rush to embrace this.
It provides a framework for a government so it can work as a democracy.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
Town meetings.
indirect democracy
Parliamentary democracy is usually considered to be a good thin, when it works well. When it does not work well, like any government that does not work well, it is not considered to be a good thing.
With 300 million people in the US, it is not possible to have a Direct Democracy. The number is just too great to work.