<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> A democracy is a political system, or a system of decision - making within an institution or organization or a country, in which all members have an equal share of power . Modern democracies are characterized by two capabilities that differentiate them fundamentally from earlier forms of government: the capacity to intervene in their own societies and the recognition of their sovereignty by an international legalistic framework of similarly sovereign states . Democratic government is commonly juxtaposed with oligarchic and monarchic systems, which are ruled by a minority and a sole monarch respectively . </P> <P> The oldest known existence of a democratic kingdom (Ganarajya) where king was chosen by people's votes can be traced way back in 599 BC at Vajji, Vaishali in ancient India . It was the birthplace of 24th and last Tirthankara in Jainism, named Mahavira . Democracy is generally associated with the efforts of the ancient Greeks and Romans, who were themselves considered the founders of Western civilization by the 18th century intellectuals who attempted to leverage these early democratic experiments into a new template for post-monarchical political organization . The extent to which these 18th century democratic revivalists succeeded in turning the democratic ideals of the ancient Greeks and Romans into the dominant political institution of the next 300 years is hardly debatable, even if the moral justifications they often employed might be . Nevertheless, the critical historical juncture catalyzed by the resurrection of democratic ideals and institutions fundamentally transformed the ensuing centuries and has dominated the international landscape since the dismantling of the final vestige of empire following the end of the Second World War . </P> <P> Modern representative democracies attempt to bridge the gulf between the Hobbesian' state of nature' and the grip of authoritarianism through' social contracts' that enshrine the rights of the citizens, curtail the power of the state, and grant agency through the right to vote . While they engage populations with some level of decision - making, they are defined by the premise of distrust in the ability of human populations to make a direct judgement about candidates or decisions on issues . </P>

In what country can the practice of democracy be traced back to