Pre-democratic political systems of various kinds, in feudal system and ancient empires
Representative democracy and a multiparty political system for the rising middle class in West, with democracy based on an informed, educated middle class; democractic centralism in socialist countries, with population also educated
Global democratization trends, in former communist and South countries today, with modern information technologies making control of information to citizens by dictators difficult. Social-political change on important issues initiated by direct, grass roots, participatory democracy involving media coverage, electronic networking on internet, Faxs. & other forms of electronic democracy. Increasing number of issues: arms control, free trade, AIDS, pollution, and terrorism, require global cooperation and or local action, not just national policies, to solve them.