democracy in ancient and modern civilizations
TRANSCRIPT
SEMINAR # 1
_INTRODUCTION TO DEMOCRACY_
MISS TEENAT RAB
• Hajra Afzal Khan• Syeda Hira Qaiser• Irum Fazal• Sana Khan• Nosheena Safdar• Hira Nasir• Fehmida Jalil• Afshan Ejaz
The word ‘democracy’ has a Greek origin. DEMOS – people , KRATOS – power or rule.
It is the best form of government in which the leaders are elected by the people and are accountable to them.
H.L. Mencken once said : Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want.
A social process by which societies achieve an advanced stage of development and organization
Origin of civilization
Man is a social animal. It is physically impossible for him to survive alone. Consequently he made alliances with other humans. They lived together , hunted together , ate together and thus the very first civilization was born.
Chinese River Valley civilization
Indus Valley civilization
Egyptian civilization
Mesopotamian civilization
Sumerian civilization
Greek civilization
Viking civilization
Mayan civilization
Chinese River Valley Civilization(around 400 BC)
The Shang King ruled from the capital city of
Anyang. His kingdom was divided into different
territories that were ruled by aristocratic
warlords
The Chinese believed in supernatural forces so
that they could talk to the Gods and receive
help when needed
Family was the chief unit of the society
Men and women enjoyed equal status and
women were asked when it came to some
critical decisions
Bronze age civilization Spread over Afghanistan , Pakistan , north west ,
India Area of about 1.25 million sq km Population of approximately 5 million Famous for : handicrafts , drainage system , urbane
planning Records show nothing about political setup but
historians believe that every region was governed by a separate ruler and both the genders enjoyed equal status
a civilization at the northeast of Africa concentrated along the Nile
It was most powerful under ramissis rule It was conquered many times and ended up as a
possession of Alexander , the great In 30 BC , it fell into the Roman Empire under
Cleopatra , later was captured by the Arabs Achievements include : surveying and construction ,
advancement in medicine and mathematics , improved agricultural techniques and the first peace treaty ever
Pharaoh had wielded complete control
Pharaoh is the common title of
the kings of ancient Egyptian
dynasties
Government of Egypt King was the supreme military commander and
head of government
Second-in-command was the vizier who was
the king’s representative
Bureaucrats managed the state affairs
Country was divided into nomes governed by
nomarchs
Law was same for everyone
Men and women enjoyed equal civil rights but
there was severe punishment for criminals
Legal punishments included fines to execution
Mesopotamian Civilization(5000 BC-3000 BC)
Mesopotamian is a Greek word meaning land
between two rivers i.e. TIGRIS and
EUPHRATES
Kings were thought to be the descendants of
city of gods
Head of province was a governor who
maintained lawful principles
Hammurabi’s code
Babylon became the central city under
Hammurabi's code
Advancement in astronomy and medicine
Greek civilization( 800 BC – 146 BC ) )
Ancient Greek civilization was a period of
political , philosophical , artistic and scientific
achievements that formed a legacy
Ancient Greece consisted of several hundred
more or less independent city states (poleis)
due to the geography of Greece- divided and
sub-divided by hills , mountains and rivers
Government and Law Various forms of rule , ultimately resulting
in Athenian Democracy , a form of ‘direct democracy’ as opposed to representative democracy
An exclusive club, however , was launched which contained only adult males who could vote
Women , slaves and foreigners couldn't vote
Viking is a term which refers to raiders
They were a group of people who came from
different vivid territories of the word
The Vikings can be pretty much described as
ravagers , despoilers , pagans and heathens
but the view abruptly skewed
They were democrats who founded the world's
oldest surviving parliament while Britain was
still mired in feudalism.
Even if they earned a brutal reputation , at
home they lived in a well-ordered society
based on laws and democracy
The general assembly was responsible for
maintaining law and order
Learned men quoted the laws and then lawsuits
were heard
Women held a strong position in the Viking
society which was a trademark of equality
Mayan Civilization( peaked around 800 AD )
Mayan civilization is one of the greatest in the
world
The earliest phase began around 3000 BC
The Mayans developed a
hierarchical government ruled by kings and
priests
They lived in independent city-states consisting
of rural communities and large urban
ceremonial centers
There were no standing armies, but warfare
played an important role in religion, power and
prestige
The Roman Empire ( 27 BC – 393 AD )
The total area of the Roman Empire was
2,750,000 sq km
In 25 BC , its population was roughly 56.8
million
Initially , the form of government which
prevailed was Autocracy but then democracy
sprang
The Dark Ages or The Medieval Period (1100 BC – 750 BC )
The Dark Ages is generally considered as the
early medieval period of the European history
After the fall of the Roman Empire , it was
subsequently replaced by various tyrants and
despots
The class struggles of the Roman Empire
resulted in an unusual Democracy
Roman laws were passed by the vote from the
Popular Assembly
Likewise , candidates for public positions were
elected by the common people
Early Modern Period
a. Islamic Civilization
b. China
c. Japan
d. India
e. north America
f. England
Late Modern Period
a. Industrial Revolution
b. Age of Revolutions |
c. Age of Revolutions ||
d. Age of Imperialism
The Islamic Civilization ( 622 AD – 1258 AD )
Islamic Civilization involves the history of the
Islamic faith as a religion and as a social
institution
The history of Islam began in Arabia with
the Islamic Prophet Muhammad's first
recitations of the Quran in the 7th century in the
month of Ramadan
Islamic empire under the KHULAFAYE-
RASHEDEEN CALIPHATE expanded rapidly
Islamic civilization has deep imprints of
democracy
The city-state of ‘MEDINA’ was formed by
Prophet Muhammad ( P.B.U.H )
The Constitution of Medina (Arabic: دستور
Dastūr, المدينة ul-Madīnah or صحيفة المدينةṢaḥīfat
ul-Madīnah), also known as the Charter of
Medina, was drafted by Prophet Muhammad
It ensured the security of the community, the
religious freedoms , security of women , a tax
system and a judicial system
China Emerged on the world map on : October
1st , 1949
In China , urbanization increased as the
population grew and as the labor grew more
complex
Historians often refer to the period from Qin
dynasty to the end of Qing dynasty as Imperial
China
The doctrine of Legalism that guided the Qin
emphasized strict adherence to a legal code
and the absolute power of the emperor
Democracy was a major concept introduced
to China in the late nineteenth century
The Imperial Court organizes elections
Japanese Civilization and Democracy
Society of the Japanese was based on the
strict class hierarchy
The politics of Japan is a framework of
a multiparty parliamentary representative
democratic Constitutional monarchy
where the Emperor acts effectively as the
symbolic Head of state and the Prime Minister
acts as the Head of government and the head
of Cabinet which directs the executive branch
Judiciary is independent in Japan- there are five
types of courts- Supreme Court, High Court,
District Court, Family Court and Summary Court
India Independence date : August 15th , 1947
The Government of India , officially known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 29 states and seven union territories
The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of India are set down in major parliamentary legislation
India has a federal government, with elected officials at the federal and local levels. All members of the federal legislature, the Parliament are directly elected. Elections in India take place every five years.
North America
Representative democracy
6 essential ideals of democracy
To implement these ideals , the US govt has
made four elements of govt
Power vested within three distinct parts
REVOLUTION OF NORTH AMERICA
13 American colonies
American War of Independence
United States declaration of independence
Independent United State of America
50 states eventually emerged which had
separate governances
England
England is considered as one of the best
democracies being practiced in the world
England has a partial monarchy and a vast
democratic system
The Prime Minister leads the government with
the help of cabinet and members
Supreme power of the state vests with The
Queen , who can even declare a war and
dismiss the PM
The Queen does not have direct
correspondence with the governmental affairs
Fair Elections are held every 5 years
LATE MODERN
PERIOD modern period
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND DEMOCRACY
The Industrial Revolution marks a turning point
in history ; almost every aspect was influenced
in some way
It began in the UK , and spread throughout
Western Europe , North America , Japan and
eventually the rest of world
‘LIBERAL DEMOCRACY’ was practiced which
was a form of government in which
representative democracy operates under the
principles of liberalism
The 18th and 19th centuries were the origins of
modern thought and modern political life
Two late 18th century events are recognized as
a benchmark in history :
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
There was a change in form of government from
absolute monarchies to constitutional states and
republics
The mid – 19th century is marked by massive
changes in the global geo-political structure
Empires established , Republics emerged ,
monarchs deposed
Revolutionary terms such as liberty ,
constitutionalism , nationalism and equality had
spread throughout Europe and could not be
revoked
All this led to the development of new political
ideologies
Age of imperialism
It was a time period when modern , developed
nations were taking over less developed nations
, colonizing them or influencing them in order to
expand their power
Some of the democratic norms were followed
but the cultural and social diffusion occurred
which led to its demise after the World War ||
Democracy has not attained its ultimate form , it
is still evolving and it will continue to do so , as it
is the worst form of government ; except , of
course , all of the others tried.
The notion of democracy is that under it THE
WEAKEST should have the same opportunity
as THE STRONGEST.