Download Origins of Democratic Thought and Practice A Legacy

Origins of Democratic Thought and Practice
A Legacy from Ancient Cultures
Defining Types of Government
Defining Vocabulary:
1. Rule by one can be referred to by several terms, depending on how the leader was
chosen.
¾ Autocracy (Autocrat) means rule by one person.
¾ Monarchy (Monarch) – refers to a king or queen who rules through inherited power.
¾ Dynasty – is a long line of autocratic rulers who pass governmental power down from
one generation to another.
¾ Dictatorship (Dictator) – is an autocratic ruler who seizes power, often through
military action.
¾ Emperor - an autocratic ruler who governs an empire.
2. Rule by a few is called an oligarchy. Oligarchs are selected based on a variety of
methods but usually involve privilege or military power.
¾ Aristocracy – rule by a privileged few.
¾ Dictatorship – absolute rule by a group of authoritarian rulers (e.g., junta).
3. Rule by many is most commonly known as a democracy. Two forms of democracy are:
¾ Direct Democracy that involves all of the citizens directly in the law-making process.
¾ Representative Democracy (Republic) involves citizens voting for people who will
represent them in a law-making assembly.
In Ancient times there were examples of many of these types of government:
Autocracy (rule by one)
¾ Monarchy (Monarch) – as King David in ancient Israel or the Pharaohs in Egypt
¾ Dynasty – as in China (Han, Qin) or India (Gupta)
¾ Dictatorship (Dictator) – as in Caesar in Rome.
¾ Emperor – as in Augustus Caesar, Diocletian, or Justinian in Rome or Alexander in
Greece.
Oligarchy (rule by a few)
¾ As in the Athenian government in which select nobility made governmental decisions.
¾ As in the Roman Triumvirate (Caesar, Crassus, Pompey).
Rule by many - democracy.
¾ Direct Democracy in Ancient Athens.
¾ Representative Democracy in the Roman Republic.
© Houston ISD Curriculum 2008
Secondary Social Studies
Origins of Democratic Thought and Practice
A Legacy from Ancient Cultures
Defining Types of Government
More about Greece and Rome:
In Ancient Greece:
1. Athens had Direct Democracy in which citizens (male, native-born, landowners) could
vote using a one person, one vote system. They voted on laws and rules to govern
society. They did not vote on their rulers.
2. In Athens Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities were granted to those free born to
citizenship and those “naturalized” into citizenship. All foreigners, women and slaves were
non-citizens for government purposes.
3. The rights of citizens in Athens included voting, speaking in public meetings, electing
government officials, passing laws, and representing themselves in court.
4. The responsibilities included participating in government, paying taxes, and serving in the
military when needed.
5. In Athens, Solon began written codes of laws in 594 - 560 B. C. Democracy was extended
under Pericles in the 400’s B. C.
6. Other city-states in Greece such as Sparta were not democratic. Sparta was ruled by a
military oligarchy.
In Ancient Rome:
1. The Roman Republic was founded in 509 B.C. as a representative democracy.
2. In Rome males of noble and common birth had citizenship. A foreigner or non-citizen
could be “made” a citizen through action of the government (a form of “naturalized”
citizenship). For the most part women, many foreigners, conquered peoples, and slaves
were excluded from citizenship rights.
3. In this republic, male citizens voted on representatives to attend senate meetings. These
Senators voted on laws that affected the entire Republic.
4. The senators elected two consuls to head the government and manage the army. This
system lasted for almost 500 years.
5. There were three branches of government in the Roman Republic:
the Senate (patricians – those of noble birth),
the Citizen Assembly / Tribunes (a voice for the common people - plebeians) and
two Consuls or the “executive” branch of government.
Each branch of government had certain checks and balances on the others.
6. Laws were written on Twelve Tables of Law and posted in the Forum for all to see and
read.
7. Veto (Latin for “I refuse”) was an option for both Consuls and Senators.
8. Jury trials conducted in Ancient Rome were modeled on the Greek system.
© Houston ISD Curriculum 2008
Secondary Social Studies
Origins of Democratic Thought and Practice
A Legacy from Ancient Cultures
Defining Types of Government
Important concepts for democracy:
1. Rule of law – the idea that government is a rule of law, not individuals. Two examples:
Hammurabi’s Code –
This legal code enacted by King Hammurabi (1792 – 1750 B.C.) in Mesopotamia was not the
first legal code but it significantly influenced Hebrew, Islamic, and U.S. judiciary law.
Hammurabi’s Code was established to promote “rule of law” and its importance in creating a
harmonious society. It emphasized uniformity throughout his realm between
crimes/punishments and the rule of judges. This ancient system included the following:
A judicial system that tried cases brought before it by aristocrats and commoners.
People representing themselves and providing evidence that a crime had been
committed, including requiring the use of documentation and witnesses.
The Code included fines or “in kind” payment proscribed as penalties/punishments. The
saying “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” were part of Hammurabi’s Code.
Punishments were not “classless” – aristocrats were punished less severely than
commoners were and slaves were treated most harshly.
If the accuser failed to “prove” his case, he was given the sentence fitting the crime rather
than the accused. (What would that mean for courts today?)
Justinian’s Code of Laws –
Justinian was a Roman emperor who ruled the eastern part of the Roman Empire from
527 – 565 AD. He codified Roman law in a written document called The Body of Civil
Laws. This was the most comprehensive law code up until that time. It spread Roman
legal ideas and principles throughout the western world (Europe and the Americas) with
the support of the Catholic Church.
2. Rights and responsibilities – the idea that along with “unalienable rights” come civic
responsibilities.
Judeo-Christian tradition teaches that support of the duly constituted government is a
responsibility of the people with ultimate responsibility to God.
Greco-Roman tradition taught the balance between rights and responsibilities for all
citizens.
The idea of civic responsibility in response to the government protecting the rights of
citizens is a common theme of government systems.
3. Equality before the law – is the idea that all people deserve equal treatment and
protection of the law and government.
This traditionally has been more of the “ideal” rather than the practice. Throughout
history, there have been gross inequalities in the treatment of various segments of the
population by governments.
Often, this principle meant equality for those who were similar to those in power or
who administered the laws. Discrimination aimed at certain segments of the population
is firmly based in history, although not necessarily admired.
Voting, in which all citizens cast a single vote has been one method by which political
equality has been advanced.
© Houston ISD Curriculum 2008
Secondary Social Studies