Hi student! I'm Brian Perez from Teaching and Digital Tools. Today most of the States of Law are democratic, you have been educated and prepared, from a very young age, in knowledge, values and citizenship to exercise a democratic coexistence. But ... do you know what democracy is? Where or when did it originate? It is said that the first antecedent of democracy dates back to the ancient Greeks, in the city-state of Athens, during the first half of the 5th century BC This was the first case of a society that discussed its laws and was able to modify them. Democracy was then, and is now, a form of government. A system or government of how to govern a State. Democracy, is a word of Greek origin, formed by the terms: Demos, which means "people", and kratos, which means "government". Therefore, it is the government of the people. In Athens, all citizens were "equal" before the law, most public offices were decided by lottery, for which "all" citizens had the possibility of being elected and "everyone" had the right to participate and express themselves in the Assembly. However ... when I say "all" citizens, I mean a small part of the population, since they considered citizens only men, Athenians, born in the polis, of legal age and free. That is, they did not allow the political participation of women, foreigners or slaves. Hence, Athenian democracy can be considered, today, a restricted democracy. (sad music) And that, given the low number of citizens who participated in the assembly, it was possible for them to exercise it directly, that is, they could meet and make all decisions related to public affairs, agreeing on them personally. This kind of participation is known as direct democracy. With the passing of the centuries, and the incorporation of new ideas, many characteristics of this form of government were modified. As a result, today's democracies don't look too much like the democracy of the ancient Greeks. An important difference is that today, all people, including women and foreigners, can participate in the government of the community of which they are part. As long as they are citizens of that community, that is, as long as they have citizenship with said State. Furthermore, at present there are so many millions of people in a country that it would be impossible for us, even if we wanted to, all of us get together to decide, day by day, each issue of public interest. To begin with, we would not all fit on a hill, as if the ancient Greeks did, nor would we have enough time, to debate for hours, and still work, study and / or do other chores. So, in order to exercise government, the people elect certain people, through suffrage, to make decisions on their behalf. Therefore, the rulers exercise the power that the citizens delegate to them. Therefore, our democracy is indirect. Or also called representative, for the election of representatives, who occupy different public positions and answer to the people for their actions. Next we will see other fundamental characteristics of a democracy. In indirect democracies there is the division of powers, typical of the republican principle of government, which we will see in depth in a future video. The division of powers, then, refers to the fact that power is distributed in three organs with specific functions; (failed ...) The executive branch is in charge of the administration and execution of government policies; The legislative power is in charge of the elaboration and enactment of laws; and the judiciary dispenses justice, judging those who commit crimes and applying penalties to those found guilty. The main officials of the State, come from elections. They must be free, that is, organized, supervised and accounted for by an institution outside the executive or legislative power. Open; because all citizens registered in the electoral roll participate, Competitive: given that certain candidates are victorious over others, according to the popular will measured by the number of votes that each one registers. Periodic: Because they are held every certain number of years, depending on the electoral laws of the States. In this way, the authorities are renewed and the concentration of power is avoided. Regarding suffrage, the right to vote is universal, that is, it corresponds to all citizens. In addition, all citizens have the right to be elected to hold public office, notwithstanding of meeting some requirements that the laws may require for each position. If that! Woohoo !! In democracies, there must be ample freedom of expression, which allows the opinion of citizens about the rulers and their policies, ideology, or the socioeconomic system. Likewise, the law must protect the diversity of information sources (free and independent press) . What good news! Another, of the pillars of democracy, is that citizens have the right to freely associate in parties and interest groups, in defense of their rights and opinions. Being that the political parties and other non-governmental organizations have very important roles as channels of the will and popular voice. Finally, it is worth mentioning that democracy is not only a form of government, or a political system, but it is also a way of life. Related to the possibility that all the inhabitants of a State have the freedom and the possibility of fully enjoying their rights. For which, living in a democracy is not only limited to voting, periodically, for our representatives, but has to do with ensuring equal opportunities for all its inhabitants , without any type of discrimination, and respecting and protecting rights of all people. A task that we can fulfill, seeking an education in both scientific knowledge and values, committing ourselves to our community and participating responsibly whenever necessary. Why didn't anyone tell me ?! OH! I hope this information is useful to you. If you want to support us to continue creating content like this, subscribe to the channel, like the video, comment on it and share it so that it reaches more people. Until next time!