 As our understanding of the nature of modern democratic government improves , it becomes increasingly apparent that majority rule , while an essential ingredient of the system , can operate in ways which are as undemocratic as the rule of the minority – that democracy has to do not only with who exercises the power of the state , by and for the people , but also with the manner in which the state treats those who seek its assistance , or are obliged to submit to its authority , and with what the state allows people to decide and do of , by and for themselves . 
