grassroots democracy
Community-driven political participation
Grassroots democracy emphasizes political participation from ordinary citizens rather than established leaders or institutions.
The grassroots are the common people, the base rather than the elite.
In grassroots democracy, change emerges from local organizing, community involvement, and bottom-up mobilization: The campaign relied on grassroots democracy rather than big donors.
The term often contrasts with top-down governance or party-controlled politics.
- netrootsOnline grassroots political activists
- bottom upStarting from lowest level
- show of handsVoting by lifting arms
- town hall meetingsOpen civic discussion events
- electionsFormal choosing of officials
kitchen table politics · decentralization · self-governance · community organizing · block captain · local chapter · volunteerism · civic · community · neighborhood watch · regional autonomy · voter registration · phone banking · door knocking · petition drive · activism · public forums · civic participation
- local governancevillage council, mayors, local government, local councils, town meeting
- anarchismanarchy, anarchism, Emma Goldman, Goldman, anarcho-communism
grassroots democracyautocracy
Rule by one
top-down · dictatorship · centralized authority · authoritarianism · oligarchy
grassroots democracyelitist
One favoring the privileged
elitism · oligarchy · plutocracy · aristocracy · machine politics
grass, grassy, grassland, grasslands, grasses, roots, rooted, rooting, rootless