Athens established the world’s first democracy in 507 BC. It ended less than 50 years later when it transitioned to an aristocracy under the rule of Pericles in 460 BC.
Democracy then took a break for almost 2,000 years before England passed the The Bill of Rights in 1689, which called for regular parliaments, free elections, and limited powers of the monarch.
Although smaller democracies were started in the intervening period (Iceland and San Marino, for example), it was a long time between the end of Greek democracy and democracy’s adoption by a global super power.
It’s a fascinating reminder that demokratia, or “rule by the people”, was not always around, and how it’s something we must persistently and consistently respect and cherish.