1. The Rise of Democratic Ideas 2015
Prologue Notes
The Rise of Democratic Ideas
2015

2. Hammurabi's Code of Law
One of the earliest Code’s of Law that influences us today.

3. Athens, Greece Democracy: “rule of the People”
Did not want to be ruled by authoritarian rulers
Citizens were the men who owned land or that had certain rights
Direct democracy: citizens make and pass laws (citizen participation)
Pericles made reforms to get poor people to serve in government
paid jurors and public officials
Three branches of government:
Executive
Legislative
Judicial

4. Rome developed a republic
509 BC set up a republic
Citizens had the right to elect leaders, PARTICIPATION
Voting of free males
Twelve Tables: 451 BC written code of laws
Senate: legislative

5. Basics of Roman Law:
Equal treatment under the law
Innocent until proven guilty
Burden of proof rests on the accuser rather than the accused
Any law that seems unreasonable or unfair can set aside

6. Code of Justinian, A.D. 528 Today’s laws can be traced back
Codification of Roman Law
New (for the time) uniform legal code
Impacted all of Western Europe

7. Judeo-Christian Tradition
Judaism (one God) – a dignity and worth of the individual, because each person has the potential to be the savior (a divine spark); combat oppression through community involvement
Christianity: Jesus emphasized God’s personal relationship with individuals; equality of all people; combat oppression

8. Judeo-Christian Tradition
Christianity spread through Roman Empire
Constantine, Roman Emperor: made Christianity official religion of Rome
Diaspora: spreading of Jews throughout the world
Pax Romana: Roman Peace…spread Christianity

9. Ten Commandments God gave them to the Jews
Laws dealing with moral and ethical rather than politics

10. Renaissance Renaissance: “rebirth”
Rebirth of old Greece and Roman stuff (democracy)
Worth of the individual

11. Reformation To reform the Catholic Church Protested teachings
Emphasis on people reading and understanding God’s word for themselves
If a person can think for himself about going to heaven, then he can also think for himself and learn to govern

12. England William the Conqueror, 1066 Start of democratic type stuff
Juries and Common Law (customs & principles established over time)
Magna Carta
Limits on kings power
King cannot tax without consent
King cannot raise an army or quarter troops

13. England
Habeas Corpus: charge and bring to court; it's in the US Constitution
Petition of Right, 1628: against absolute monarchy, important in influencing future constitutions

14. Magna Carta, 1215 Treaty between King John and the barons (nobility)
Major source for English individual rights and liberties
800th anniversary
Defined and limited the kings authority
Monarchs had to govern according to law, not arbitrarily
Declared Rights of “free men” (property holding men)
Due process of the law
Idea of God Given Rights… US Constitution
Monarch could only tax with consent

15. Parliament grows stronger
King had to go through parliament to get taxes passed
Petition of Right: 1628
No taxation without consent of Parliament
Could not illegally imprison citizens (due process of law)
No housing of troops in citizen’s home
No army in peacetime

16. Glorious Revolution
William and Mary of Orange were invited to be dual monarchs
Signed the English Bill of Rights, 1689
Limited monarchy power
No martial law
No tax without Parliament consent
Can’t raise an army in peace time
Freedom of speech
Influenced colonies
Influenced U.S. Bill of Rights

17. Enlightenment Enlightenment: principles of reason and science
At the same time, Age of Exploration, Scientific Revolution
Equality and value of all people

18. Enlightenment Philosophers
Hobbes: liked absolute monarchy , but he described social contract (agreement among members of society to submit to a ruler)
Locke: people have right to rebel.
LIFE, LIBERTY, and PROPERTY
Government comes from the people, self- government
Natural rights (GOD given)

19. Enlightenment Philosophers
Rousseau: philosopher, “government came from the consent of the governed” advocated democracy… The Social Contract
Montesquieu: philosopher “liberty is a natural right”; separation of powers (3 branches)

20. US Constitution
It has affected, inspired, and modeled democracy around the world for more than 200 years
Representative government
Federal system: national and state governments (layers of govt)
Checks and balances
Separation of powers (3 branches)

21. Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
French Revolution, 1789
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
Democracy is difficult to acheive

22. Most people now think democracy is the best form of government
Modern times
Most people now think democracy is the best form of government
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, 15 new republics were formed