Democracy is a form of government in which eligible citizens may participate equally – either directly by voting for the passing/ rejecting of laws or running for office themselves, or indirectly through elected representatives. – in the proposal, development and establishment of the laws by which their society is run. The term originates from the Greek δημοκρατία "rule of the people", which was found from δῆμος "people" and κράτος "power" or "rule" in the 5th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in Greek city-states, notably Athens; the term is an antonym to ἀριστοκρατία "rule of an elite". While theoretically these definitions are in opposition, in practice the distinction has been blurred historically. The political system of Classical Athens, for example, granted democratic citizenship to an elite class of free men and excluded slaves and women from political participation. In virtually all democratic governments throughout ancient and modern history, democratic citizenship consisted of an elite class until full enfranchisement was won for all adult citizens in most modern democracies through the suffrage movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.