One of the key things about democracy is the peaceful transfer of power (between internal elites). Thus policy direction can change, perhaps radically, without

One of the key things about democracy is the peaceful transfer of power (between internal elites). Thus policy direction can change, perhaps radically, without the violence of a civil war. This is particularly important in the face of change (technological, external, resource etc). Probably ancient Egypt survived in that form for so long because everything pretty much stayed the same - relative to our tumultuous modern world anyway.