Democracy in the United States Constitution.
Throughout the years, generations have ardently debated about which is the most adequate form of government. Nowadays, most countries believe in democracy as the type of government which enables the prosperous development of their nations. In its most basic definition, democracy is a government which derives its powers from the consent of the people. This concept goes back to the ancient Greeks, however, as time has passed and societies have evolved, democracy has adapted to the new circumstances imposed through time and new interests keeping its essence intact. As Abraham Lincoln affirmed "Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people". This observation poses several questions: Who is the people that should govern? Who decides what the best interest of the people is? Should it be a majority? Or should minorities be protected from majority factions? These questions give rise to a debate around two different models of democracy: the majoritarian and the pluralist. .
Under a democracy, governments have to make decisions based on people's needs. These can be collected through several different mechanisms such as: elections, political parties, interest groups, etc. After this process is completed, governments face a dilemma. The decisions they will make should either satisfy the necessities of the majority of the population, or they should defend the interests of organized groups of citizens. Theorists call these two approaches of democracy: the majoritarian and the pluralist model, respectively. .
