The meaning of democracy

Abstract

This paper presents a reflection on democracy and reaches its perspective on Latin America and the XX and XXI century. Searching for evidence in Greco-Roman history, the article finds the meaning of the word democracy, even more in line with the way of government implicit in it. In the panorama of Latin America and throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries several references can be noted that contribute to the reflection, among them, stands out the fact that many citizens don’t even know today to interpret the meaning of democracy. There is also an analysis of the procedures and mechanisms relating to the representation while recalling the repeated theme of mentalities. To conclude, the article refers specifically to the case of Peru and brings out the topic of the illiterate voting, secularly excluded from the Peruvian political system, as a symbol of the progress of democratic participatory forms in our region.