The political system of the Persian Empire under rulers such as Darius and
Cyrus was a(n) _

The correct answer is direct democracy

Direct democracy is a form of democratic government where the population has the right to participate directly in decision-making. However, this is a viable model for small societies, where deliberation among all its members is possible.

The first reports of direct democracy are from Athens, in Ancient Greece, when the system of government consisted of popular participation in making the main decisions. The citizens met in a public square and, thus, discussed and voted on political issues and on the problems of the city.

Today, with the enormous population growth of nations, it is impossible to maintain this type of democracy model. For this reason, other alternatives were emerging, such as representative democracy.

Direct democracy is the oldest model that represents the manifestation of citizenship. However, in Ancient Greece, only men who were children or grandchildren of Athenians were considered citizens. Women, blacks, mestizos, for example, did not have the privilege of participating in city decisions.