According to Dahl modern democracy has four historical sources :The direct democracy in ancient Greece, the republicanism of Roman and Italian city-states in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the theory and practice of representative government, the idea of political equality. Besides ancient Athens, there have been semblances of democratic functioning in other parts of the non-Western world in ancient times. Though democracy is a familiar word to most, but it is a concept still misunderstood and misused at a time when dictators, single party regimes and military coup leaders alike assert popular support by claiming the mantle of democracy. Yet the power of the democratic idea has prevailed through a long and turbulent history, and democratic government, despite continuing challenges, continues to evolve and flourish throughout the world. Democracy can be traced back from present day to classical Athens and Greeks in 5th century BC.
ANCIENT ATHENS In the Greek city-state of Athens the first major effort to realize democracy and freedom was attempted, with the establishment of a vibrant, direct and participatory democracy that remains unparalleled till date, both in the ancient and the modern world. In the 5th century BC Athens pioneers an experiment in direct democracy, as opposed to the representative democracy of modern societies(www.historyworld.net). This unique achievement was made possible with the creation of the polis which in English means the city-state.