The term “democracy” comes from demos, “common people,” and kratos, “strength.” Athenians (Greek) established what was considered the first democracy in 508–507 BC. The Romans further streamlined the process, and during the Middle Ages, there were various systems involving elections or assemblies, although often only including a small part of the population.
Democratic governments and institutions are preferred throughout the globe because of the unique approach of empowering people to elect their leaders based on merit. Other governance structures like monarchy or feudalism force their leaders on the people and have mostly been rejected. Democracy ensures that citizens participate in elections, and elected leaders work for the betterment of people.