Democracy refers to that form of government in which the people, either directly or through their representatives, determine the laws. In the 20th century, during a time of a deep ideological divide between authoritarian dictatorships and capitalist democracies, democracy was often associated with liberty and respect for the individual. Although there is a correlation between liberty and democracy, democracy refers to a particular type of political system that does not necessarily imply or lead to a society in which men are free. A democratic system provides that citizens exercise control over the government, whereas liberty refers to the limits of that power regardless of who exercises it. A popular view of democracy is that democratic government should act to further the will of the majority, ...