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507 BCE
Democracy develops in Athens, Greece.
Democracy: A form of government where people elect representatives to make decisions and establish laws. -
27 BCE
The Roman Senate votes to give extraordinary (dictatorial) powers to Octavian who then adopts the name Augustus, essentially ending the Roman Republic - democracy vanishes for centuries
Dictatorial: Having complete control over a country, like a dictator, without allowing freedom or democracy. -
John Locke writes Two Treatises of Government outlining some liberal political ideals
Liberal: A political philosophy emphasizing individual rights, democracy, and the protection of private property. -
Montesquieu writes The Spirit of the Laws, explaining the need for three branches of government
Three branches: The idea that government should be divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent any one group from gaining too much power. -
Benjamin Franklin writes to James Parker about the federal organization of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois League)
Federal: A system of government where power is split between central authority(president of a country) and smaller regions(mayors of a city) -
The Continental Congress (representing the Thirteen Colonies) adopts the Declaration of Independence, starting the process of creating the US republic.
Republic: A form of government where the people elect representatives to govern on their behalf. -
The nation-state of Canada is created through the passage of the British North America Act, providing responsible government for the former colonies.
Responsible government: A system of government where the executive is accountable to the elected legislature and must maintain its confidence to stay in power. -
anada holds the first federal election to have secret ballot
Secret ballot: A voting method that allows people to cast their vote in private to protect them from being influenced or ridiculed -
Lenin dies, opening the door for Stalin to take power in the USSR (leading to a ruthless dictatorship)
Stalin: The leader of the Soviet Union after Lenin’s death, known for ruling as a harsh dictator and using fear to control the country. -
The Persons’ Case determines that women are in fact persons and should have full rights
Persons’ Case: A landmark legal decision in Canada that recognized women as "persons" under the law, allowing them to be appointed to the Senate. -
Hitler passes the Enabling Act, moving Germany from a democracy to a dictatorship
Enabling Act: A law that gave Hitler’s government the power to make laws without the parliament’s approval, helping him become a dictator. -
First Nations peoples in Canada are granted suffrage
Suffrage: The right to vote in elections -
The Soweto Uprisings in South Africa protest the majority tyranny laws that prevented Black students from getting an education in their preferred language under the Apartheid rules; some students are killed by police
Majority tyranny: When the majority unfairly controls or oppresses smaller groups, ignoring their rights. -
The Reform Party of Canada is created; one of their key platforms is the Triple E Senate.
Triple E Senate: A plan for a Senate that is Elected, Equal, and Effective. -
The referendum on the Charlottetown Accord, which would include special rights for First Nations and Francophone Canadians, fails to pass.
Referendum: A direct vote where citizens are asked to either accept or reject a particular law/bill. -
George W. Bush wins his first term as president of the United States without winning a majority of the votes due to the US electoral college system.
Electoral college: A voting system in the United States where citizens vote for electors who then vote for the president, meaning the candidate with the most individual votes doesn’t always win. -
The Harper Government passes Bill C-16, An Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act, which brings in fixed date elections to Canada’s federal electoral system
Fixed date elections: A system where elections happen on a set schedule rather than whenever the government decides, making the process more predictable and fair. -
President Mugabe of Zimbabwe blames the UK for the cholera outbreak in his country, thus making the UK a scapegoat for the problems being faced in his country.
Scapegoat: A person or group blamed for problems they didn’t cause, to take attention away from the real issue.