For a number of centuries democracy was regarded as a dangerous and unworkable doctrine. It took a hold in the western world during the C19 and C20 and was attacked by both extreme left and right wing political groups. There are those who condemn it as mob rule that vulgarises society and as a belief that tolerates mediocrity and incompetence. It has also been criticised as a sham - a belief that can t work as it goes against human nature. Plano and Greenberg believe that for democracy to work in its purest form it needs to have certain pre-requisites.
Society has to be educated and responsible.
The state must have a degree of economic stability. Social cohesion and social consensus must exist. It is argued that if governments try to move in the direction of democracy then they have the right to be labelled democratic. Democracy found in western Europe was given a huge boost in the 1980s and 1990s when many communist governments gave way to what were termed democratic ones. The same thing is occurring in the Third World which is further undermining the hold of authoritarian regimes but giving a further boost to western style democracy.