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democracy: Quick Facts

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News •

North Carolina is on the brink of a total Democratic sweep of state government • Nov. 12, 2026, 2:00 AM ET (Washington Post)
Germany news: New study reveals only a third of Germans are satisfied with the state of Democracy • Nov. 11, 2026, 4:31 PM ET (Deutsche Welle)
US Senate advances energy permitting Bill opposed by some Democrats, tribes • Nov. 9, 2026, 7:33 PM ET (Straits Times)
How Democratic wave, election results could impact Wisconsin universities • Nov. 9, 2026, 6:05 AM ET (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
US futures sharply higher after Democratic route in midterm elections • Nov. 4, 2026, 7:56 AM ET (AP)

Photos and Videos

Voters standing at voting booths marked County of Ventura, California, casting ballots in a busy polling station during the 2012 Presidential Election.
Cleisthenes of Athens
The Acropolis in Athens, Greece, with the Parthenon temple prominently situated on the rocky hill above the city and ancient ruins visible in the foreground.
Portrait painting by Gilbert Stuart of James Madison, shown from the waist up wearing a dark coat and white cravat, set against a dark, muted background.
Alexis de Tocqueville
Nineteenth Amendment
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act at a desk in the White House, surrounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. and a group of witnesses.
Marble bust of Aristotle with a beard and draped robe, showing detailed facial features and wavy hair, set against a dark background.
John Locke
Portrait of French political philosopher Montesquieu in profile, wearing a draped garment and looking to the right.
What is democracy?
Two people in suits with their heads replaced by scoops of ice cream against a striped background and a red flag labeled VOTE!
A white wall with two signs, one labeled "POLLING STATION" and another labeled "WAY IN" with an arrow pointing to a doorway.
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Key People

Pericles
Pericles
Athenian statesman
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi
Myanmar politician and opposition leader
Solon
Solon
Greek statesman and poet
Cleisthenes of Athens
Cleisthenes of Athens
Greek statesman
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Ephialtes
Greek politician
Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis de Tocqueville
French historian and political writer
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Robert A. Dahl
American political scientist and educator
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Carole Pateman
political scientist and educator
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John Taylor
American politician and philosopher
Adams, Brooks
Brooks Adams
American historian
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Murray Edelman
American political scientist
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V. O. Key, Jr.
American political scientist
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Axel Brusewitz
Swedish political scientist
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Moisey Ostrogorsky
Belarusian political scientist
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Guillermo O’Donnell
Argentine political scientist
Nakae Chōmin.
Nakae Chōmin
Japanese writer
Harold Joseph Laski
Harold Joseph Laski
British political scientist