2 You live in a democracy. What does this mean?

This video presents chaper 2 of the book "Education for Democracy in the 21st Century". The presentation starts by defining the concept of democracy, which comes from the Greek "demos" which means people, and "kratos" which means power or authority. It describes how democracy worked in ancient Greece (direct democracy) and how it works in most democratic countries of the world in the 21st century (indirect democracy). Chapter 2 states that perhaps the most important characteristic of democracy is the peaceful transfer of power, which is absent in other forms of government. It also states the importance of the principles of the rule of law, or the equality of ALL citizens before the law, and of the separation of powers, to prevent abuses of power from the government. Another topic mentioned in Chapter 2 are the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy, which derives from the principle of the rule of law. While democracies guarantee rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and freedom of demonstration, there are limits that apply to these rights, e.g., one cannot slander or libel somebody, and religions must respect the rules and regulations of the state. There are some review questions at the end of the presentation.