is so broad that even countries with seemingly undemocratic political structures still call

themselves democracies. So then, what is a democracy?

Well, simply put, a democracy is a system of governance where everyone IN the group

gets an equal say in what happens TO the group. That’s why the roots of this word are “demos”

- Greek for “people”, and “kratia” - Greek for “power”. The people hold the

power. The ancient Greeks from around the 5th century BC are generally credited with

officially establishing this as a political philosophy, but it may have emerged even earlier.

The concept of democracy is simple, fair, and pretty much common-sense. Except when

it’s not.

Take for instance, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, AKA North Korea. Or the

Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite their names, they are among the least democratic

nations worldwide, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. Both of these countries

have long standing authoritarian rulers, not elected by popular vote.

Even the United States, a famous beacon of democracy, does NOT reportedly give all people

equal power in the government. A recent Cambridge Journal report found that the “economic

elite” call most of the shots, and that the popular majority does NOT rule. Political

commentator, Noam Chomsky, also says that that the “lower 70%” have “no influence

on policy whatsoever”, and that America is not a democracy, but a “plutocracy”,

AKA a government by the wealthy.

The word “democracy” doesn’t really have a definite meaning anymore. Because the

spectrum of governments to which the term is applied is SO broad. And essentially no

major government actually fits the bill of a true democracy. Instead, many nations have

“democratic aspects” to their government. Scandinavian nations, like Norway, Sweden

and Iceland, are usually considered the most democratic in the sense of government accountability

to the people.

In general, democracy is important to every nation’s political system. When people have

a voice in the government, they have more trust in it. This can reduce social unrest

and civil wars. The EIU reports that progress towards democracy worldwide continues with

globalization, increasing education rates, and the growing middle class.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe to TestTube. We’re going to be

looking into other forms of government soon, and want your input! Chime in with your suggestions

in the comments below, and if you want to check out our new channel Seeker, check out

this video about how the board game monopoly was originally created as propaganda. Thanks

so much for watching! We’ll see you in the comments.