Democracy. It is the system that empowers the people, the system for which humans have fought and died, the system that gives people power to vote on issues relating to government.

It gives each individual a voice and the right to exercise their opinion. It has shown itself to to be an effective and fair method of governance. In very recent times, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria — to name but a few — have been engaged in struggles to cast off the constraints of sectarian rule and become democracies.

Democracy has its origins in ancient Greece. With some variations, the ideals of the democratic process were established in ancient Athens, around 505 BCE, and are remarkably similar to the workings of democracy today in the United States. The word democracy is formed from the Greek demos (people) and kratos (power). The democratic system is credited to Cleisthenes, a noble Athenian civic leader, who overthrew the tyrant Hippias, and set about reforming government. He established legislative bodies, replaced the ruling family tribes with groups from different regions of the state, and reorganized the court system.

The most basic principle of the Athenian model was a system of direct and indirect representation to rule the people and carry out their wishes. There were three main governing bodies: the assembly, the council, and the courts. Those eligible would, in theory, attend a daily meeting of the assembly where issues were debated. They would vote on major items and elect individuals to offices when needed. Similarly, the courts were made up of eligible members of the public. Along with this general assembly, there was a council (called a boule) comprised of delegates from different groups. They wrote laws, which were then sent to the assembly to be ratified.

More than 2000 years after the end of the Athenian democracy, a new powerful democracy was born in the United States. It rose within the cloak of colonialism, and was replaced with an unprecedented form of democracy. The current tri-part system in the United States, the executive, judicial, and legislative branches, although very different in specifics, harken back to the structure of Athenian democracy. On the surface, the Athenian model seemed to be more direct; citizens attended meetings in-person and voted on issues as opposed to acting through a representative. As the population of the U.S. grew, the government had to rework this aspect of direct in-person participation and instead develop a system of democratically elected representatives sent to Congress to forward the opinion of the majority of people within that representative’s district. While not ideal, the majority of the voters within the election district is then represented by the elected legislator who won the election. The representative is supposed to fairly represent all people within his or her district, although this often may fall along party lines.

In Athens, the only people eligible for citizenship were adult non-slave males whose families had been residents for three generations. This reflected an unfair, misogynist, slave-based culture which was prevalent at the time. Theoretically, both rich and poor could attend meetings; however, the less well-off rarely attended due to their financial constraints. Despite its inequity, within this system lies the core idea that people who are citizens can vote, that each can cast a single vote, and each vote is counted.

The definition of citizen, in terms of who can exercise their vote, has broadened since Athenian times. It is interesting to note that when American democracy was created in 1787, it wasn’t inclusive; women could not vote, nor could people of color; voting was limited to white men only. Many voting exclusions of large parts of the populace were not rectified until the twentieth century. And even today, people interned in prisons or those with prison records continue to be disenfranchised.

In the United States today we live in a seemingly more just society than ancient Athens. Through the media, the Internet, and social networking sites, government processes have become more transparent, allowing more people to be informed about the workings of the government. However, political power is still unfairly balanced towards the rich and the powerful. Gerrymandering, limitless campaign donations, corporations being treated the same as people, leading to untold campaign contributions, unfair laws that close voting stations early, illegal voter identification laws, often disenfranchise the poor, the elderly, the young, and people of color in this country.

Some part of the Athenian democratic system was based on persuasive oration. People had to argue their own court cases in front of a jury, demonstrating that Athenians regarded public speaking as a means of force and truth. Today, within the chambers of the United States Congress, the power of public speaking is also often used as a means of persuasion; especially important in times of polarized branches of government trying to pass legislation. One form of political weapon is the filibuster, used often by one representative or one political party, to stall legislation from coming to a vote.

The Greek system of democracy was seemingly incorruptible. Trust was implicit, truth was held to it’s highest standard for every citizen, lawmakers could be impeached, and these principles guided daily life for every Athenian. The demise of the Athenian system came as a result of warring between city-states. The democratic ideals crumbled and other forms of government were installed, none of them ever restoring democracy to its original premise. However, the ideal of Athenian democracy became a great example for future leaders to follow, allowing all people a voice and a vote in their government.

Although the United States government often seems rife with corruption, it is not as bad as compared to most world governments. Through our country’s history there have been numerous scandals, involving bribery, unlawful arms deals, stealing, corruption in many parts of government and private life. Luckily we often recover, learn from these mistakes, and make attempts to right the wrongs. However, many politicians want to be elected or re-elected and will do whatever is necessary to win, such as Ronald Reagan illegally selling arms to Iran, or candidates accepting money from powerful interests to influence the vote. Often large donations are in exchange for furthering private interests at the expense of the public good. The candidate is elected and then expected to pass or block legislation as a “quid pro quo” on behalf of the powerful monied interest.

Despite its downfalls, democracy has proved itself to be a successful system of government in which ordinary citizens can govern and make their own decisions. At times, darker forces cloud the system: greed, cronyism, prejudice, injustice. But democracy has always shown itself stronger than these weaknesses. From the time of the Greeks to the present day, democracy has evolved and strives for the ideal government: of the people, by the people, for the people.