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500 BCE
Democracy in Ancient Greece
Democracy in Ancient Greece is different from the democracy we know now. If we think of democracy, words like equality, freedom, human rights etc. are the ones that come to our mind first. In the Athenian's book, only men were considered citizens while women, children and slaves were not. Many duties and decisions were forced upon these citizens such as voting and jobs.
This government has influenced Canada greatly as we have a democratic government as well. -
27 BCE
The Roman Empire
In 27 BC, the Roman Empire ruled the world. One in every four people that lived and died were governed by Roman Law. Their tactics to run their nation could go from elegant and civilized to brutal and terrifying. Daily life in the Roman Empire depended heavily on your status. Even though their ways wavered regularly, the people were still in charge. I believe this affects the Canadian government as we follow a democracy which has a few similarities with the Roman empire. -
Jun 15, 1215
The British Parliament
The British Parliament was founded in the early 13th century. In 1931, the British Commonwealth was formed under which over 50 countries, including Canada, were ruled by the sovereignty. In 1982, the Canada Act was established which took away the British Government's right to make any amendments to the Canadian Constitution. The British Parliament now only has the power to pass any and every bill proposed by parties in Canada. -
Jun 15, 1215
The Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was a royal charter of rights that promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, and limitations on feudal payments, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons. Unfortunately, neither side stood behind their commitments, and the charter was annulled by Pope Innocent III, leading to the First Barons' War. -
1500
The Iroquois Confederacy
An Iroquoian Indigenous Confederacy in northeastern America that established the law of peace across nations. This law made sure all nations would work in harmony together. In modern day, this Confederacy sounds similar to the United Nations. UN- an organization in which Canada and 192 other countries. These include many of the powerful countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, and Russia. This organization makes sure that peace is maintained between all nations. -
Thomas Hobbes
An English philosopher, scientist, and historian whose theory was famous world-wide and is still well-known in the 21st Century. His best known piece is Leviathan. He expressed his theory on human behavior in this book. His opinion was that humans were motivated by self-benefit and aversion and demotivated by pain. This affects modern day life as many people believe and agree with Hobbes. He is a celebrity when on the topic of human behaviour. -
The Divine Rights of Kings
The Divine Right of Kings is a political and religious doctrine of royal absolutism. It conveys the message that a Monarch is above all its subjects and does not have to listen to them. This type of government does not include the common man's opinions on the topic. This topic does not influence our government in any way. Even though there is a higher authority in our government, the citizen's voice is heard clearly and most decisions are made for the well of the people. -
John Locke
John Locke was an English philosopher and political theorist who was recognized as the founder of British empiricism and the author of the first systematic exposition and defense of political liberalism. He is called the "Father of Liberalism". This affects us as our Prime Minister belongs to the Liberal Party of Canada. -
The French Revolution
In 1789, bankruptcy due to government debt, the class conflicts, the absolute rule of Enlightenment contributed in the initiation of the French Revolution. This revolution changed the government, military and the culture of this country while also staring a series of wars in Europe. This also triggered conflicts between upper and lower Canada in 1837. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression took place in 1929. The stock market crash triggered this world wide economic depression. The stocks fell hard, thousands of people lost all the money they invested without knowing anything about the business. This dragged on till March of 1933. Even though it only lasted for about 4 years, it took 25 years for the stocks to recover. Millions of Canadians were left unemployed, homeless and starving. The unemployment rate jumped to 30%.