Rousseau describes democracy as a form of government that “has never existed and never will exist”; Yet twenty-six countries around the world are considered full-fledged democracies. How is this possible? Rousseau's concept of democracy supports the most basic and fundamental principle of democracy – a democracy in which all citizens participate directly. Although his idea of ​​democracy cannot be considered an effective indictment of what passes for democracy today, it is not Rousseau's account that is wrong but the fact that in modern society, it would be virtually impossible to realize this idea of ​​democracy. Jean-Jacques Rousseau defines democracy as a government in which “the sovereign entrusts government to the entire people… so that there are more citizen magistrates than simple citizens”. In Rousseau's democracy, the people are both subject and sovereign and, as such, they make the law and are subject to the law. Although the people are both sovereign and subject, the sovereignty of the people rests solely in the assembly, and so when the people are no longer assembled, they become subject to the same laws they have just created. Although this may seem contrary to If citizens make the same laws that they must follow later, Rousseau says that all laws passed will be based on the general will and therefore will be intrinsically good. Rousseau states that all laws passed by the assembly are "solely the authentic acts of the general will" and because "the general will is always just", all laws passed are intrinsically good. Alongside these fundamental premises of Rousseau's democracy, four fundamental conditions must exist for democracy to flourish: a small state, a "g...... middle of paper...... titles and above all citizens. Expecting all citizens of a democracy to lack ambition and greed is virtually impossible, especially when modern society teaches individuals that ambition is a necessary component of success. Yet some countries subscribe to democratic ideals in the most realistic way possible. By allowing and encouraging citizens to vote and creating and implementing laws equally, these democratic governments institute some of the most important ideals of democratic government. Works Cited Economist Intelligence Unit. “Democracy Index 2010”. Information policy. Economists Intelligence Unit, 2010. Web. November 12, 2011. .Rousseau, Jean-Jacques and Donald A. Cress. “On democracy”. Basic political writings. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 1987. 179-80. Print.