Combining the Greek words demos (δήμος) meaning "people" and kratos (κράτος) meaning "power," democracy was the earliest expression of the idea of "power to the people"! It is a form of government where the people rule themselves, typically through elections and elected representatives, as opposed to being ruled by a king (monarchy), religious clergy (theocracy), warlords (military dictatorship), or elite, wealthy individuals (aristocracy).