de·moc·ra·cy (dĭ-mŏk'rə-sē)
n., pl. -cies.
Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
A political or social unit that has such a government.
The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.
Majority rule.
The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.


 
Encyclopedia
democracy , term originating in ancient Greece to designate a government where the people share in directing the activities of the state, as distinct from governments controlled by a single class, select group, or autocrat. The definition of democracy has been expanded, however, to describe a philosophy that insists on the right and the capacity of a people, acting either directly or through representatives, to control their institutions for their own purposes. Such a philosophy places a high value on the equality of individuals and would free people as far as possible from restraints not self-imposed. It insists that necessary restraints be imposed only by the consent of the majority and that they conform to the principle of equality.
Government

Cuba is a one-party Communist state; the Cuban Communist party (PCC) is the only legal political party. The country is governed under the constitution of 1976. The government is led by Fidel Castro, who became prime minister in 1959 and president in 1976. The unicameral legislature, the national assembly, is elected directly by the people. Cuba's legal system is based on Spanish and American law mingled with Communist legal theory. Administratively, Cuba is divided into 14 provinces.
Two Faces of Democracy

The forces arrayed against us and their ancient origin, have been outlined in these pages, but it may also be well to remind ourselves of more conventional views. In "The Dilemma of Democracy" (1978) Lord Hailsham comments:

"Our troubles derive from the fact that we are halting between two inconsistent opinions about the nature of democracy ...Both opinions claim to be democratic ... Both claim to rest upon the interest of people. Yet each is wholly inconsistent with the other ... The two theories are the theory of centralized democracy, known to me as elective dictatorship, and the theory of limited government, in my language the doctrine of freedom under law.".

"..one will assert the right of a bare majority ... to assert its will over a whole people whatever that will may be. It will end in a rigid economic plan, and, I believe, in a siege economy, a curbed and subservient judiciary, and a regulated press. It will impose uniformity on the whole nation in the interest of what it claims to be social justice. It will insist on equality. .. It will crush local autonomy. It will dictate the structure, form, and content of education. ... It will worship material values. .. When its policies fail, it will rely strongly on class divisiveness or scapegoats to distract attention .."
Democracy is a form of government under which the power to alter the laws and structures of government lies, ultimately, with the citizenry. Under such a system, legislative decisions are made by the people themselves or by representatives who act through the consent of the people, as enforced by elections and the rule of law.
Etymology
The word democracy originates from the Greek δημοκρατíα from δημος meaning "the people", plus κρατειν meaning "to rule", and the suffix íα; the term therefore means "rule by the people."
democracy (disambiguation)
The concept of democracy within politics is commonly referred to from many different perspectives:

Modern democracy — democracy implemented within constructs that protect individual rights and maintain a balance of power.
Liberal democracy — the ideals behind modern democracy, specifically with respect to representative democracy.
Athenian democracy — democracy as originally invented; a majoritarian model.
Direct democracy — implementations of democracy in more pure forms.
Democracy (varieties) — all the other approaches to democracy in existence.
Democracy is also an 1880 novel by Henry Adams.
See also
List of politics-related topics
This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page
Of all the searches I did for Centeralized democarcy the paper that guy wrote in 1978 was the only legitimate source (i.e. had a refrence)

So first of all... Centeralized Democracy does not exist, and if it did it would still require the vote of the people.

Your AP government teachers are trying to play the moral equivilancy game, trying to make you think that everything is reletive and nothing has meaning, so that you can't tell the difference between freedom and opression.  Stand strong and don't be brainwashed.

I know the difference between Freedom and Opression.  I also live about 116 miles or so from Cuba, so I see and hear float-overs very often.  I've also been to Cuba a few times in my life.  It's not as opressive as people make it sound.  It is, by the vaguest definition of democracy (At least, the ones I've been given throughout studies), a democracy in that it is ruled with the intent of being ruled *for* the people.  I cannot say it necessarily is.