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Period: 507 to 460
Ancient Greek Democracy
Ancient Greece was the most advanced culture of their time.
The Athenian leader Cleisthenes introduced a political system that he called demokratia, or “rule by the people.” It was split into three governing institutions, and only male citizens above the age 18 were able to participate in the demokratia. -
Mar 16, 1215
Magna Carta
King John created the Magna Carta Libertatum, which is translated to "The Great Charter of the Liberties", to try and quell the rebellious barons. The charter protected Church rights, protection from illegal imprisonment, and access to swift justice.
It was an unsuccessful attempt, as neither the king nor the barons kept to the charter. -
Period: Mar 16, 1450 to
Renaissance
The classical Greek and Roman ideas were resurrected, and people were started having more individualistic ideas. The Greeks were a very humanistic culture, and Italian artists in the Renaissance changed their focus of their work onto depicting the real world and real people. -
Period: Mar 16, 1500 to
Haudenosaunee Confederacy
Before America was colonized, the Haudaunesaunee people had an oral constitution laying out their democratic policy.
The Haudenosaunee are the longest standing people with a constitution of liberal principals. The constitution of the Haudenosaunee was a large influence on the Constitution of the United States of America, including it's division of power among various branches. -
Period: Mar 16, 1517 to
Reformation
Influenced by the Renaissance, the Catholic church faced a schism, since people began their own interpretations of the bible, and the protestants created their own church that only followed the bible, and not church traditions. -
Period: to
The Enlightenment
Also called "The Age of Reason", it is the time when philosophers like John Locke's ideas became popular because they separated the church and the state. These ideas were that people were reasonable and that the governments power should be limited. This especially excelled with traders, as the church conflicted with their international trading. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
Britain developed from an Agricultural and mercantile society to a modern and industrial one.
Liberalism excelled in the Industrial Revolution because it gave people the economic freedom they needed. The wealthy middle class started pursuing self-interest, and after the Industrial Revolution, Classic Liberalism become a dominant political theory from the 19th century into WWI. -
Period: to
American Revolution
America was still a British colony, and they were upset with all of the taxes and laws the British parliament were putting onto them.
Americans rejected the British Parliament, and created their own democratic constitution based on the classical liberal principals that every man has the right to "Life and Liberty", and added their own principal, "The Pursuit of Happiness". -
Period: to
French Revolution
King Louis XVI was neglecting the citizens of France, and France was put into a financial defecate. The people called a General Assembly, and when the 3rd estate didn't get equal representation, they created their own declaration.
The 3rd Estate revolted against the Monarchy, and The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was made, which is a constitution that protects the fundamental rights of every man. -
Period: to
Changes to class system
The class system became more fluid after the industrial revolution, and the lines between classes blurred. The aristocracy were still rich, powerful and respected, but more power went into the middle and working classes, and they were given more representation in the government.