Democracy is a political system, or a decision making system that gives every person in an institution, a council or a country, the right to have a say in decision making processes, equally with others. It is the most common political system in the world at the moment. In most countries or institutions, the right to vote is given based on multiple characteristics, with the most common one being the age. This is to give the right to vote to people that are able to comprehend situations and can think maturely. Unlike oligarchy and monarchy , democracy doesn’t favour a specific group or person and treats every individual equally.
Democracy is generally associated with the efforts of ancient Greek civilizations, who were considered as the founders of western civilization by the 18th century intellectuals. Prehistoric origins of democracy dated back to small bands of hunters-gatherers. Anthropologists have identified forms of proto-democracy in small bands of hunters gatherers that predate the establishments of sedentary societies. It still exists virtually unchanged in isolated indigineous groups. In these groups, 50-100 people are often tied with family bonds, decisions are reached either unanimously or by majority. These types of democracy are often recognized as primitive democracy or tribal democracy.
The concept of democracy and its use in institutions and governments are thought to be originated in Greece, Athens in 508 BCE. In ancient Greece, where there were many city-states with different forms of government, democracy contrasted systems like tyranny, monarchy, aristocracy. However, in recent decades scholars found the possibility that advancements to democratic systems might have happened in the Near East and Indian Subcontinent.