Your Politics Guide

Direct Democracy

Direct democracy is a system where the public vote policies themselves, as opposed to electing representatives.
This form of democracy was seen in Athens, where the first instance of democracy was established.
Modern examples include referendums, such as the 2016 UK EU Referendum.
Direct democracy allows for greater public participation, but it can be hard to implement in the modern world due to larger, more complex societies.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Direct Democracy

Advantages	Disadvantages
Encourages active participation from the public.	Impractical for a country with a large population.
Decisions directly reflect the will of the people.	People might vote in their own interest rather than society's.
Everyone's vote is equal.	Can lead to voter apathy if citizens are asked to vote on too many issues.
It is the purest form of democracy.	Could result in a tyranny of the majority.