Role of democracy in the world
                     Role of 
democracy in 
the world
What is 
democracy? 
The word ‘democracy’ comes from a 
Greek word which means ‘rule by the 
people.’ It’s used to describe a system of 
government where power is held by the 
citizens. They can impact important 
decisions, either directly or through the 
people they elect. 
Source: www.unifrog.org
Rule of the 
majority
Democracy is based on freedom and 
equality between all people. It’s often 
described as the ‘rule of the majority’, as 
important decisions are based on the 
votes of the people and the most popular 
opinions among voters.
Source: www.unifrog.org
Classification
• Through direct democracy. Everyone 
gets the chance to vote on the 
outcome of a decision. An example is 
the Brexit referendum in 2016.
• Through representative democracy. 
People vote to elect officials to make 
decisions to reflect the wishes of the 
people, such as the US Congress and 
UK Parliament.
Source: www.unifrog.org
BENEFITS OF DEMOCRACY
Protecting the 
interests of 
citizens
• People get the chance to vote on the 
key issues affecting their country or 
can elect representatives to make 
these decisions. 
• In the USA, the federal government 
allows members of each state to elect 
an official representative for their state 
to protect their interests at a higher 
government level.
Source: www.unifrog.org
Promoting 
equality
• One principle of democracy is that all 
people are equal in the eyes of the 
law, and every person gets a vote. 
• For example, Canada has a universal 
franchise decree in the Canadian 
Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which 
explicitly allows every citizen of 
Canada the right to vote in any 
Canadian election.
Source: www.unifrog.org
Preventing 
abuse of 
power
• In democracies, people in authority are 
usually elected by people who vote 
them in. 
• They are therefore responsible for 
carrying out the will of those who 
elected them. If they misuse their 
position, they won’t be re-elected.
Source: www.unifrog.org
Creating 
stability
• Democracies have rules and laws that 
provide stability and protect human 
rights (see our guide on Understanding 
human rights to find out more). 
• Democratic governments have time to 
make changes that are in the interests 
of everyone.
Source: www.unifrog.org
Problems with democracy
Not everyone 
exercises their 
right to vote
• In some countries, like Australia, 
voting is mandatory by law for certain 
elections - but this is not the case in 
other democratic countries. Although 
everyone living in a democracy has 
the right to vote (at a certain age), not 
everyone actually does it, which 
means that in the end, not every voice 
gets heard.
Source: www.unifrog.org
Decisions can 
take a long 
time
• The process of changing laws and 
making decisions about the country 
has to go through various stages of 
voting before they come into effect. 
Source: www.unifrog.org