Watch The Western Story Lecture #3: Can Democracy Be Dangerous?

The Greeks invented democracy, but they never perfected the formula. Unrestrained democracy leads to mob rule, so the Romans instituted a republic with checks and balances. But placing too many checks on democracy leads to oligarchy and tyranny. Modern-day Americans want equality and liberty, but can we have both in equal measure? We're still tinkering with the formula, trying to get it right.