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507 BCE
Democracy develops in Athens, Greece
The development of democracy in Athens, Greece was a long process, taking hundreds of years. It is seen as one of the first democratic societies. In 507 BCE, "rule by the people" was introduced a major step towards democracy. -
27 BCE
Augustus becomes dictator of Rome
Octavian, who changed his name to Augustus, was the first emperor of Rome. His rise to power caused the end of democracy in Rome for many years to come. -
John lock writes Two Treatises of Government
John Locke, wrote the Two Treatisis of Government to argue, support and outline his liberal ideas. He was later named the father of liberalism. -
Montesquieu writes The Spirit of the Laws
The Spirit of the Laws was writen as political theory, explaining the importance of separation of powers and dividing the government into three separate branches. -
Benjamin Franklin writes to James Parker about the federal organisation of the Iroquois League
Benjamin Franklin wrote to James Parker, an American colonial publisher. In his letter, he promoted colonial union and argued that the colonies should have peace with the Iroquois. This letter promoted the fight for independence from British rule. The word federal refers to the highest and most central part of government. -
The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress met in the Pennsylvania State House, in Philadelphia and signed the Declaration of independence, which gave the colonies independence apart from Britain. A republic is a society in which the people hold the power and a temporary leader is elected. -
The nation state of Canada is created
Until 1867, Canada was a province in British North America, as were other territories such as Nova Scotia. The leaders of these territories met and wrote the constitution, which created the country of Canada, and a responsible government for the former British colonies, after being passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. -
Canada holds the first federal election using secret ballot
British Columbia was the first province to hold an election by way of secret ballots. The federal government and other provinces
followed later. -
Lenin dies
At the age of 53, Lenin died after experiencing three strokes. An attempt at assassination is likely to have contributed to these, as he was severely injured, although the attempt was years prior to Lenins death. His death opened the door for Stalin to establish a dictatorship, the USSR, in Russia. -
Women are declared "persons" in the Persons' Case
Upon discovering that women could not be appointed to senate because they were not legally "persons", Emily Murphy organized a group of women who were determined to change this. These women fought for this right for three years. Eventually the Privy Council, which was the highest judicial authority at the time, declared women "persons" and that they should have full rights. -
Hitler passes the Enabling Act
This act enabled Hitler to establish a dictatorship. He gained the power to create laws without the dispute or involvement of the reichstag, which wa s the German parliament. This act made Germany a dictatorship. -
Canadian First Nations gain the right to vote.
Before 1960, First Nations were required to give up their rigts as Status Indians in order to vote. In 1960, Prime Minister John Deifenbaker granted suffrage to Status Indians that allowed them to keep these rights. -
The Soweto Uprisings in Southern Africa.
School children protested the majority tyranny laws and apartheid rules that prevented them from being educated in their preferred languages. Some students were killed in the uprisings that started on the 16 of June 1976. -
The Reform Party of Canada is created
The Reform Party of Canada was founded as a protest movement but eventually became a right wing federal political party led by Preston Manning. They proposed the Triple E Senate, where an equal number of senators would be elected in each province. -
George W. Bush is elected president of the United States
His presidency was shaped by the attacks of 9/11 and the war in Iraq. -
The referendum on the Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord was an attempt to amend the constitution, to add rights for First Nations peoples and to convince Quebec to sign on to it by naming them a distinct society. This plan was rejected in a referendum and as a result, Quebec did not sign the constitution. -
President Mugabe of Zimbabwe uses the UK as a scapegoat
When cholera broke out in Zimbabwe, president Robert Mugabe blamed the U.S. and the U.K. and accused these countries of purposefully sending the disease to Zimbabwe. This is a form of scapegoating which is used in dictatorships to redirect the people's dissatisfaction. -
Bill C-16 is passed in Canada
The Bill promoted equality for the LGBTQ community. It was an amendment to the criminal code of Canada, outlawing discrimination and bias against gay and transgender people.
