democracy in ancient and modern civilizations

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.