To describe where the word democracy comes from and what etymologically means, it is necessary to go back to ancient Greece, when this form of government emerged.
Some historians agree, that comes from the term dēmokratiā , derived in turn from two Greek words: let's go , which means"ordinary people"and Kratos which means"power" So, democracy it would mean"the power of ordinary people."
However, to understand this word etymologically turns out to be a bit more complex and it is necessary to go back to the history of Athens in 508 BC.
When this city seeking to free itself from an oppressive government was reorganized, and thus began the foundations of democracy that is currently known.
Origin of the word democ r acia
Attica was divided into important areas, being the city of Athens and its surroundings one of them. It was subdivided into several zones or districts; these were originally called let's go .
Every man from Attica was recognized as a citizen of the let's say, and being over 18 years participated in political decisions. Women, slaves or foreigners were forbidden.
So in reality, according to what is currently known about democracy, in Athens it was not applied as such, but it can be understood as a government that represented the zones or districts of Athens.
Plutarch, managed to define democracy from another perspective, alluding to the fact that the word came from the conjunction of words demiurges (artisans of Attica) and geomorphs (peasants of Attica), social classes that constituted the demos
The definition that Plutarco gave to democracy then was:"government of artisans and peasants."
Regarding the word Kratos , the interpretation of"power"has often been questioned by some historians, claiming that reference is made to"force exercised", rather than to the representative power that is wanted to be given.
If etymologically it means force exerted by the demos (citizens), it could have a connotation more similar to an imposition of powers and laws, than the one given at present by textbooks.
Characteristics of democracy in Ancient Greece
The connotation given to Kratos (power, strength), offers a diatribe for some historians, so suggest the study of the characteristics of democracy exercised by the Greeks in Athens.
These characteristics are listed below:
- The public positions were drawn among the population except the generals.
- Political participation was only allowed for men over 18 years
- The most important institution was the Ekklesia (assembly).
- There was the Bule or council, which was made up of 500 elected by vote of the population of Attica.
These characteristics gave to the political regime in Athens, qualities that are separated from the meaning of imposition of power by force, oriented more to the understanding of Kratos as a capacity to act.
Dēmokratiā, then it is not just"the power of the demos"; rather, it means, more broadly, an"empowered demos". It is the regime in which the demos gains a collective capacity to effect changes in the public sphere.
References
- Constanzo, S. (1855)._ Universal History, from the most remote times to our days. Editorial Mellado.
- Dahl, R. (2017). Democracy Encyclopædia Britannica. Taken from britannica.com.
- (2017). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Taken from en.wikipedia.org.
- Etymology of Chile._Democracy. Taken from etymologies.dechile.net.
- Ober, J. (2007). The original meaning of"democracy": Capacity to do things, not majority rule. Stanford University. Taken from web.stanford.edu.