Ancient ROOTS of DEMOCRACY CAN PEOPLE DECIDE DEMOCRACY

Ancient ROOTS of DEMOCRACY

CAN PEOPLE DECIDE? DEMOCRACY = People. Rule originated in ANCIENT GREECE (in Athens) & ANCIENT ROME

The idea that each person could be a decision-maker implied that each person was treated with dignity and respect. Ancient Greeks admired human beings, individual achievements & believed that every person has dignity &worth. This is reflected in Greek art, as well as the Ancient Greek idea of democracy.

In the 5 th century BC, Ancient Athens invented a new form of government, in which people ruled – called DEMOCRACY (in Greek - rule by the people). Greek democracy was direct democracy. • direct democracy is when everyone participated in the government personally & directly

Was Ancient Greek democracy perfect? Could everyone actually participate & vote? • Actually, no. Some people were excluded from this first democracy in human history. Who were they? • Women, slaves and foreign residents couldn’t vote.

REASON, LAW & EDUCATION • Ancient Greek philosophy focused on the role of reason, logical thinking, laws, knowledge, education. • The Ancient Greek philosophers SOCRATES, PLATO & ARISTOTLE laid the foundations of Western philosophy. • SOCRATES (Socratic method) focused on logic and reason – using a Q & A approach. Why is that important for democracy?

• Aristotle wrote: “Passion influences those in power, even the best of men, but law is REASON without desire. ” • Aristotle also wrote against tyranny (autocracy, rule by one person) “A tyrant has no regard to any public interest, except as conducive to his private ends… A tyrant is not to be overthrown until men begin to have confidence in one another. ”

• What was Plato’s big idea? • Plato wanted society governed by the wisest rulers, whom he called “philosopher-kings. ” • In his writings, Plato created a Utopia – a perfect state ruled by a wise and educated ruler. • How do these ideas apply to democracy?

Checks & balances between the 3 branches in the USA • Ancient Greeks were also the first ones to develop Three Branches of Government - and they are… • Legislative • Executive • Judicial • Why was that important for a true democracy? • To prevent one branch from taking over.

DEMOCRACY in ANCIENT ROME

Ancient Roman contributions to Democracy • Ancient Rome invented indirect democracy = Republic = Representative Democracy • Why is this important? • In most countries, it’s not practical to have a direct democracy (too many people).

The 12 TABLES (Tablets) • Ancient Romans understood the importance of having WRITTEN Laws. They had the laws carved on 12 stone tablets and publicly displayed. Why does it matter? • This established the idea that the laws apply equally to every citizen and can’t be changed on a whim.

Principles of Roman Legal Code: • Ancient Romans had a well organized system of WRITTEN LAWS (LEGAL CODE) similar to ours: fairness, equality treatment under the law, innocent until proven guilty. • Importance for democracy? • Set the foundations for fairness, equality & protecting people’s rights in the legal system.