What is Democracy?
'''Democracy''' means ''rule by the people''.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A805952|title=BBC - h2g2 - Demokratia - the Athenian Democracy|work=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=13 July 2010}}</ref> There are different ways this can be done: # People meet to decide about new [[laws]], and changes to existing ones. This is usually called '''[[direct democracy]]'''. It is never used except in small countries, or perhaps in towns. Modern populations are usually too large to do this. # The people [[Election|elect]] their leaders. These leaders make decisions about laws. This is called '''[[representative democracy]]'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.innertemple.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=250&Itemid=198 |title=Democracy Conference |publisher=Innertemple.org.uk |accessdate=2010-08-22}}</ref> Elections are either held after a certain time, or when a leader dies. # Sometimes people can suggest new laws or changes to existing laws. Usually, this is done using a [[referendum]], a [[vote]]. # Sometimes, people are chosen to make decisions more or less at random. For example, when choosing a [[jury]] for a [[trial]]. In Europe, trials with a jury are usually used for serious crimes. The type of government where only one person has most of the power is called a [[dictatorship]]. Democracy is the opposite of a [[dictatorship]]. Dictatorships often act against [[freedom of expression]] so people cannot say bad things about the dictator or replace them for somebody else. An important source of information is the [[Democracy Index]] published by the ''[[The Economist|Economist]]'' periodical. == Types of government == In an election, the people use different ways to choose their leaders. In many countries, the person who gets the most votes wins. But there are many other ways to elect leaders. Very often, the [[politician]]s being elected belong to a [[political party]]. Instead of choosing a person, people vote for a party. The party with the most votes then picks the leaders. There are multi