Governments in countries that are considered democratic generally have a strong national government that governs for the people. Countries are considered democratic based on their individual freedoms. Democratic nations tend to value individual freedoms and are determined by criteria such as religion, speech, or association. These basic rights are what many people consider to be the most valuable and irreplaceable. In addition to individual rights, another criteria for determining democracy is based upon open and free elections.
Election is a basic civil right that democratic nations place immeasurable value upon.
Democracy as it is known today, was developed by theorists such as Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes stated that if the people were left to rule themselves, it would eventually result in anarchy. Therefore, in order to prevent this, the people had to give up a portion of the power and freedom to the government. Many people feared Hobbes state of nature, and shared his idea that the role of government was to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens. Communism is based upon equality of life by the community, and democracy is based on capitalism, which promotes competition amongst its citizens.