Page "Democracy" Paragraph 4

Several variants of democracy exist, but there are two basic forms, both of which concern how the whole body of citizens executes its will.

One form of democracy is direct democracy, in which citizens have direct and active participation in the decision making of the government.

In most modern democracies, the whole body of citizens remain the sovereign power but political power is exercised indirectly through elected representatives ; this is called representative democracy.

The concept of representative democracy arose largely from ideas and institutions that developed during the European Middle Ages, the Age of Enlightenment, and the American and French Revolutions.