Lesson 2: Theories of Democracy

     There have been four different theories of democracies formed over time.
The Traditional Theory, which allows all people to participate in government directly, or through representatives.
 The Pluralist Theory has people with the same ideas form groups with a common cause to work in politics.
 The Elite Theory is that a handful of citizens and industries hold the political power.
The elite citizens are favored over everyone else.
 Lastly, Hyperpluralism is a mix of the Pluralist and Elite theories.
It says that groups are formed by people with common interests and that some of the groups wield too much power.  In the end, this theory leads to a standstill in overall government, where there are too many groups attempting to take the power with no compromise.

 The similarity between all of these theories is that the people still have influence in the government, whether in groups or as individuals.