Professor Paul Cartledge discusses the history of democracy:

"Suppose we were to enter a time-machine and have ourselves transported back 2,500 years to ancient Athens. There we would find ourselves in the Greek city that invented “democracy”, both the word and the thing – government by mass meeting. There, a plebiscitary referendum style of government was the norm, not a desperate, abnormal expedient. It happened regularly, once a month, even as frequently as every 10 days. For there and then the demos (people) of the Athenians really did hold and exercise the kratos (power) over the public organs of governance, and the right to decide, by majority vote, what the laws and policy of the Athenian state should be."

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