The correct answer to this open question is the following.
Although there are no options attached we can say the following.
To me, civil society is the groups that are formed to exert some kind of pressure on formal institutions such as the local, state, and federal government, as well as the corporative world.
The members of civil society can be non-governmental groups, religious organizations, environmental groups, human rights organizations, and more.
Under democratic governments, this civil society has the opportunity to freely express their ideas and concerns and can operate with liberty to fight for what they think is correct. However, under totalitarian regimes, this is not the case. There is no freedom of speech or it is limit. The government does not accept critiques and limits the expression and activities of civil society.
