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Year 10

What is direct democracy?

I can explain what direct democracy is and explain its strengths and weaknesses.

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Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 10

What is direct democracy?

I can explain what direct democracy is and explain its strengths and weaknesses.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Direct democracy allows citizens to participate directly in decisions.
  2. Direct democracy can happen through the use of referendums or types of citizens' initiatives.
  3. Direct democracy exists regularly in Switzerland.
  4. Some representative democracies occasionally use forms of direct democracy such as the UK, US and New Zealand.
  5. Direct democracy can be costly and timely due to running regular referendums.

Keywords

  • Direct democracy - where the people decide on the policy directly, for example, through a vote or referendum on each issue

  • Referendum - a general vote by the electorate on a single political issue which has been referred to them for a direct decision; it is a form of direct democracy

Common misconception

All democratic countries are governed in the same way.

Democracy takes many different forms including direct democracy and representative democracy. Some representative democracies even include forms of direct democracy.


To help you plan your year 10 citizenship lesson on: What is direct democracy?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use real world examples of direct democracy such as referendums or initiatives to make direct democracy relatable and spark discussion.
Teacher tip

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is a key feature of a democratic system?
Correct answer: free and fair elections
media censorship
military leadership
one-party rule
Q2.
What does the Democracy Index measure?
the country's economic growth
Correct answer: the level of democracy and freedoms in a country
the size of a country's military
the number of political parties
Q3.
Are all democracies across the world the same?
Yes, they all follow the same rules and processes.
No, only a few countries are democratic.
Yes, they all use the same political parties.
Correct answer: No, different countries have different ways of organising government.
Q4.
Match the term to its correct description.
Correct Answer:parliamentary system,the Prime Minister is Head of Government

the Prime Minister is Head of Government

Correct Answer:presidential system,the President is Head of State and Government

the President is Head of State and Government

Correct Answer:hybrid system,there is a Prime Minister and President

there is a Prime Minister and President

Q5.
In a country, the people have the power to participate in decision-making, either directly or through elected representatives.
Correct Answer: democratic
Q6.
Which of the following is a democratic feature?
government leaders are above the law
Correct answer: laws are applied equally to all individuals, including those in power
laws change regularly based on the preferences of the ruling party
citizens cannot challenge laws in the courts

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the best definition of direct democracy?
citizens elect representatives to make decisions
the Government decides without public input
Correct answer: citizens vote on issues directly
the media chooses what laws are passed
Q2.
Match each country to how it uses direct democracy.
Correct Answer:the UK,uses referendums on rare occasions

uses referendums on rare occasions

Correct Answer:Switzerland,uses forms of direct democracy regularly

uses forms of direct democracy regularly

Correct Answer:the US,in some states, citizens can start a citizens' initative

in some states, citizens can start a citizens' initative

Q3.
A is a type of direct democracy where citizens vote on a single political issue.
Correct Answer: referendum
Q4.
Put the steps of a popular initiative in Switzerland into the correct order.
1 - citizens have an idea to propose a constitutional change
2 - citizens start collecting signatures
3 - citizens receive 100,000 valid signatures
4 - a national vote (referendum) is held
Q5.
Which of the following is true about democracies?
Correct answer: Some democracies use both direct and representative methods.
All democracies use direct democracy all the time.
No democracy uses referendums as they are not democratic.
Only Switzerland is a democracy that uses direct methods.
Q6.
Which of the following is a weakness of direct democracy?
It allows citizens to be directly involved.
It helps promote public participation.
It does not allow citizens to have a say in decisions.
Correct answer: It can be expensive and time-consuming.