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Where Did Democracy Come From, and Does It Still Work? episode artwork

Nov 5, 2026 17 min

Where Did Democracy Come From, and Does It Still Work?

from CrashCourse Hosted by CrashCourse

A government by the people, for the people sounds like a good idea. But is democracy really all it’s cracked up to be? In this episode of Crash Course Political Theory, we’ll learn democracy has had its fair share of critics, past and present. And even those in favor of the idea don’t necessarily agree on what democracy should be.Crash Course Political Theory #1Introduction: Democracy or Tyranny 00:00Critiquing Democracy 00:34The History of Democracy 02:33Forms of Democracy 03:13Challenges of Democracy 05:47Radical Democracy & Agonism 08:27Review & Credits 11:03Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u5zJCbVA0xCurLbQwWzcxXEdlqXAPpAyYVS1quwKIis/edit?usp=sharing***Support us for $5/month on Patreon to keep Crash Course free for everyone forever! https://www.patreon.com/crashcourseOr support us directly: https://complexly.com/supportJoin our Crash Course email list to get the latest news and highlights: https://mailchi.mp/crashcourse/emailGet our special Crash Course Educators newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iBgMhYThanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever:Reed Spilmann, Brandon Thomas, Emily Beazley, Forrest Langseth, Rie Ohta, oranjeez, juliebear , Jack Hart, UwU, Leah H., David Fanska, Andrew Woods, Ken Davidian, Stephen Akuffo, Toni Miles, Steve Segreto, Kyle & Katherine Callahan, Laurel Stevens, Krystle Young, Perry Joyce, Scott Harrison, Mark & Susan Billian, Alan Bridgeman, Breanna Bosso, Matt Curls, Jennifer Killen, Jon Allen, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, team dorsey, Bernardo Garza, Trevin Beattie, Eric Koslow, Indija-ka Siriwardena, Jason Rostoker, Siobhán, Ken Penttinen, Nathan Taylor, Barrett Nuzum, Les Aker, William McGraw, ClareG, Rizwan Kassim, Constance Urist, Alex Hackman, kelsey warren, Katie Dean, Stephen McCandless, Wai Jack Sin, Ian Dundore, Caleb Weeks__Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourseTwitter - http://www.twitter.com/TheCrashCourseCC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids

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This episode was published on November 5, 2026.

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