History of democracy

The history of democracy traces how political systems based on popular participation and political equality originated, changed, and spread across societies.

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Athenian democracy: A system of direct citizen government in ancient Athens, especially during the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. Its institutions provide the best-known ancient example of democracy in practice.
Direct democracy: A system in which citizens decide public matters themselves rather than only choosing representatives. It describes the assembly-based participation found in some early democracies.
Solon: An Athenian lawmaker whose reforms in the early sixth century BCE altered debt, citizenship, and political access. His reforms preceded and helped set conditions for Athens's later democratic institutions.
Absolute monarchy: A form of government in which a monarch holds extensive authority unconstrained by effective representative institutions. Democratic movements challenged hereditary rule and the concentration of political authority.
French Revolution: A period of political upheaval in France from 1789 to 1799 that ended the monarchy and reshaped ideas of citizenship. Its declarations and conflicts made popular sovereignty a central political claim.
Cleisthenes: An Athenian statesman whose reforms in 508/507 BCE reorganized political participation and helped establish democracy. His reforms are commonly treated as the starting point of Athenian democracy.
Representative democracy: A system in which citizens elect officials to make public decisions on their behalf. Its rise made democracy workable across large territories and populations.
John Locke: An English philosopher whose writings defended natural rights, consent, and government limited by law. His arguments influenced later defenses of representative government and popular consent.
Oligarchy: A system in which political power is held by a small, privileged group. Many societies called democratic restricted power to elites in practice.
American Revolution: The conflict from 1775 to 1783 through which thirteen British colonies won independence and formed a republic. Its constitutional experiment advanced representative government while preserving major exclusions.