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1200 BCE
Democracy in Ancient
Description
Ancient Greeks developed the idea of elected representatives. Along with just the idea of democracy, the Greeks came up with the idea of having a parliament and jury to ensure equal representation (at the time). This system gave most of the power to the people through elected officials. This form of social hierarchy has survived a millennia is that it is the most fair system that people can reasonably employ without human nature disrupting it too much. -
625 BCE
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire dramatically deviated from representative democracy. This meant that the emperor held the majority of the power and had the authority to command the army, veto laws, hold counsel and much more. This meant that the people had to put all their trust in one person that they likely have never even seen in person. The Romans introduced many things in their government that we still employ to this day such as age restrictions for representatives -
Jun 15, 1215
The Magna Carta
The Magna Carta guaranteed many basic rights such as freedom from arbitrary imprisonment, trial by a jury of peers and freedom from slavery but was most famously the first bill that held royalty accountable to the laws they passed. King John signed the bill under duress to avoid a civil war. Just 10 weeks later pope innocent III annulled the bill and sent England into internal war.
Even Though it was nullified it still gave the people hope that royalty and other officials were not above justice. -
Divine right kings
The idea that kings were (christian) god’s representatives. The kings that claimed this expected obedience from their people and tended to have very little understanding for anything that fit within what they thought was “God’s will”. The divine right of kings gave the church more input in government. -
Thomas Hobes
Thomas Hobbes formed the theory of social contract, a set of predetermined moral and political rules of behaviour. He believed in a sovereign above the people instead of a democracy.
Thomas Hobbes proposed the idea of a single ruler and justified it on the grounds of self-interested citizens. This meant that if the citizens agreed on a social contract they are guaranteed a set of laws and regulated consequences for their actions. -
John Locke
John Locke believed in a government with limited power over citizens. He liked the idea of natural rights, where people would naturally behave in a way that would serve the greater good. Following his beliefs, citizens should always hold the majority of power and be able to overthrow the government when necessary. John Locke refuted the theory of the divine right of kings on the grounds that everyone is entitled to natural rights of life, liberty and property. -
British Parliment
The Scottish parliament and the English parliament united to form the parliament of Great Britain. The Scotland elite were all for the idea of uniting, mostly due to their poor economy, but the British were more on the fence. The British were less interested but later agreed the plan would have mutual benefits. Thus the UK was formed shortly after. The British Parliament limited the power that the Monarchy held because decisions were delegated out. -
The Iroquois Confederacy
The Iroquois confederacy were several tribes of Native Americans who banded together to fight off invasions. In the 17th century the confederacy had conflict with the French, as they were allied with their enemies. Through both the 17th and 18th century, the Iroquois Confederacy maintained their autonomy which is impressive. The Iroquois Confederacy came up with the idea that any rule or law passed would have to be beneficial for at least the next seven generations. -
Revolutionary ideas
Revolutionary ideas pushed the notion that the government should completely represent the people even further. This added equality to the list of natural rights which led to the modern idea of keeping church and state separate. The separation of church and state was a turning point for democracy. It leads to more religious freedom and less discrimination. It also meant that government decisions were based more on logic and reason, than the church gaining money -
Social revolution
An example of a social revolution is the great depression’s effect on Canada was a social revolution triggered by a crash in the stock market. Many people lost faith in the government and resented religious ideas. Canadians panicked and resorted to an “every man for themselves” way of thinking. This left Canadians running for support and solutions to anyone who would provide them. Even Though civilisation was finally stabilising everything came crashing down without a minute's notice.