Monday 24 November 2014

Topic homework

This week we will be learning about democracy, which was invented by the Ancient Greeks.
 
What does 'democracy' mean? Which other forms of government were there in Ancient Greece and what can you find out about them?


17 comments:

  1. noun, plural democracies.
    1.
    government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
    2.
    a state having such a form of government:
    The United States and Canada are democracies.
    3.
    a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.
    4.
    political or social equality; democratic spirit.
    5.
    the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

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  2. Democracy means a system of government by the whole population or all the members of a state.

    One of the government states were called Spartan. In Spartan, babies were being killed, children were running around naked and boys and girls did physical exercises. It was a state of freedom.

    However, there was also a state called Oligarchy. In Oligarchy, they were generally bad for the poor. Oligarchies were not as popular as the Monarchies in the ancient world.

    As well as that, there was also a state called Tyranny. In Tyranny, a Tyrant ruled over them. This was a lord who had seized power without legal right.

    In conclusion, there were many government states; some were devious and some were delightful. However, they all had something in common, which was a government. How would you feel if a malicious government took over us?

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  3. Democracy means the government by people. That means that all the people should be able to give their own opinion in one way or another and in particular everything that affects their lives.
    Back then there was no central government. Greece was not one country. All the people lived in city states. Each city state was an independent unit that made their own laws. But everyone spoke the same language, Greek. They believed in the same gods and they all shared a common history.

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  4. Meaning of Democracy: government in which people participate.

    Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens are meant to participate equally. Democracy contrasts with forms of government where power is either held by an individual, as in an absolute monarchy, or where power is held by a small number of individuals, as in an oligarchy.

    These are the only 2 other forms of government in Ancient Greece:

    Democracy
    Oligarchy
    Tyranny

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  5. There was no central government in ancient Greece. Greece, back then, was not even one country. People lived in city-states. Each city-state was an independent unit. Each city-state made their own laws, had their own coinage, and had their own way of doing things. But, they all spoke Greek, they all believed in the same gods, and they all shared a common history.

    The earliest Greek civilizations thrived nearly 4,000 years ago. The Ancient Greeks lived in Greece and the countries that we now call Bulgaria and Turkey.

    The Ancient Greece empire spread over Europe as far as France in the East. The Greek Empire was most powerful between 2000 BC and 146 BC











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  6. Democracy

    Democracy means 'The Rule Of People (in Greek).'It also means citizens laws.

    Each person was aloud to vote or choose anything they wanted to.Whatever most people voted for,won!
    The earliest democracy ever began in Athens (Greece)in 150 BC.When democracy was proved to be a great and wise idea,other city states started doing the same.That is how democracy began.

    Monarchy-A king ruling alone.

    Oligarchy-Government ruled by small groups.

    Big Man-When living in larger groups,a man would have to decide everything from time to time.

    Chiefdoms-In places like West Asian and Egyptian towns were getting too big too be ruled by The Big Man , so there become a chief of every kingdom in power all the time.

    Ancient States,Empires,Tyranny and Republic are other governments.

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  7. Democracy

    government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.The Greeks had a lot of different kinds of governments, because there were many different city-states in ancient Greece, and they each had their own government. In addition, people's ideas about what made a good government changed over time.

    Aristotle divided Greek governments into monarchies, oligarchies, tyrannies and democracies, and most historians still use these same divisions. For the most part, Greece began by having monarchies, then oligarchies, then tyrannies and then democracies, but at each period there were plenty of city-states using a different system, and there were many which never did become democracies or tyrannies at all.

    In the Late Bronze Age (the Mycenean period), between about 2000 and 1200 BC, all Greek city-states seem to have been monarchies, ruled by kings. Homer's Iliad, and Greek mythology in general, shows us a whole series of kings like Agamemnon and Theseus, and some of their palaces have survived for archaeologists to dig up.



    After the Dark Age, though, only a few Greek city-states still had kings. Sparta is the most famous of these, though actually Sparta had two kings, usually brothers or cousins, at the same time. One would stay home and the other go off to fight wars.
    Most city-states in the Archaic period were ruled by oligarchies, which is a group of aristocrats (rich men) who tell everyone else what to do. Then in the 600s and 500s BC a lot of city-states were taken over by tyrants. Tyrants were usually one of the aristocrats who got power over the others by getting the support of the poor people. They ruled kind of like kings, but without any legal right to rule.

    In 510 BC, the city-state of Athens created the first democratic government, and soon other Greek city-states imitated them. Even city-states that weren't Greek, like Carthage and Rome, experimented with giving the poor people more power at this time. But Athenian democracy did not really give power to everyone. Most of the people in Athens couldn't vote - no women, no slaves, no foreigners (even Greeks from other city-states), no children. And also, Athens at this time had an empire, ruling over many other Greek city-states, and none of those people living in the other city-states could vote either. Of course it is a lot easier to have a democratic government when you are only deciding what other people should do.

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  8. The word Democracy means rule by the people. It is derived from a greek word coined from the words demos[people] and kratos [rule] in the middle of the 5th century BC as a name for the politic system that existed at the time of some cites of Greece,notable athens. As a form of government,Democracy contrasts with monarchy [ by king,queen or emperor ] oligarchy. The Greeks had no government. It wasn't a country. But then people made there own laws. They spoke the same language and believed in the same god.

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  9. Democracy means: a system of government by the whole population or members.

    In the year 507BC, the Athenian leader introduced a system of political reforms that he called demokratia.
    This system had three different institutions;
    Eeklesia is a sovereign governing body that wrote laws.

    Boule: a council of representatives from the ten Anthenian tribes,

    Diskasteria: the popular courts in which citizens argued cases before a group of lottery selected jurors.

    This Anthenians democracy only lasted for two centuries.

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  10. Democracy is a form of government in which eligible citizens may participate equally -either directly through elected representatives or indirectly in the proposal, development of the laws by which their society is run.

    Other forms of government which existed in Ancient Greece are Democracy, Monarchy, Oligarchy and Tyranny.

    A monarchy is a governmental system that has one person as the permanent head of state until he or she dies or gives up their position.

    Oligarchy is a form of government in which political power rests with a small segment of society , typically the people who are wealthy and have military strength.

    Tyranny the government or authority of a tyrant; a country governed by an absolute ruler.

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  11. Minecraft Instructions to play the game (PC Edition)

    1. Controls

    Forward= W
    Left= A
    Right = D
    Backward= S
    Look Up= Up Arrow key
    Look Down= Down Arrow key
    Look Left= Left Arrow key
    Look Right= Right Arrow key
    Jump= Space Bar
    Move to different sections of your inventory= Number Keys
    Third Person view= F5
    Mine= Hold and press mouse key
    Place blocks= press mouse key
    Shift+click= Opening crafting table inventory, furnace inventory, stone cutter inventory, removes stack of items from inventory and any other block which you can open inventory.
    Opening your inventory= E button of the keyboard

    2. How to survive

    In minecraft you need to have food to survive by killling animals which can be easily found roming around your Minecraft world. You will also need plenty of blocks to make yourself a shelter to survive a dangerous Minecraft night where enemies start to spawn such as zombies.



    3. Mining
    In minecraft the main reason is to mine and craft. It used to collect blocks, ores, tools and armour.
    4. Enjoying the game
    Well, that is it for now and also if you want to, you can create worlds and do these steps all over again. Please follow these instructions if you want to play this game.

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  12. Democracy is by far the most challenging form of government - both for politicians and for the people. The term democracy comes from the Greek language and means "rule by the (simple) people". The so-called "democracies" in classical antiquity (Athens and Rome) represent precursors of modern democracies. Like modern democracy, they were created as a reaction to a concentration and abuse of power by the rulers. Yet the theory of modern democracy was not formulated until the Age of Enlightment (17th/18th centuries), when philosophers defined the essential elements of democracy: separation of powers, basic civil rights / human rights, religious liberty and separation of church and state.


    Democracy - Classical Definition

    Often democracy is defined opposite to other types of government:
    Monarchy Government by a single ruler (king/queen, emperor)
    Aristocracy Government by noblemen (hereditary)
    Oligarchy Government by few persons
    Theocracy "Government by God" (in reality this means government by religious leaders)
    Dictatorship Government by people, that have seized power by force (often: military dictatorship)
    Today, the majority of democratic countries in the world are republics, i.e. officials are elected. Some well-established democratic countries in Europe, however, (the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and the Scandinavian countries) are constitutional monarchies, i.e. a king or queen is head of state while the constitution guarantees nevertheless all basic rights as in any democratic republic and sets clear limits to duties and competences of the monarch. Such a king can be regarded as a stabilizing factor rather than as a danger for a democracy. Therefore the classical definition of democracy is little helpful - at least concerning monarchy.


    Democracy - Modern Definition

    Because the definition of the term democracy opposite to monarchy and aristocracy rather creates confusion with regard to constitutional monarchies instead of establishing clarity, it is more appropriate to define democracy opposite to authoritarian and totalitarian regimes:

    Democracy Form of government, where a constitution guarantees basic personal and political rights, fair and free elections, and independent courts of law.
    Totalitarian regime Government by a little group of leaders on the basis of an ideology, that claims general validity for all aspects of life and usually attempts to replace religion. The regime does not tolerate any deviation from its state ideology. Regime opponents are persecuted, tortured, detained in concentration camps and members of ethnic minorities are killed in mass executions (genocide).
    Historic examples of totalitarian regimes include: National Socialism (Germany under Hitler, 1933-1945) and Stalinism.
    Authoritarian regime Government by a little group of leaders. In contrast to totalitarian regimes, authoritarian regimes have no distinct state ideology and grant some amount of freedom (e.g. economic and cultural) as long as their rule is not jeopardized. The most important goal of authoritarian regimes is the maintenance of power and the personal enrichment on cost of the country and its population.
    Theocracy "Government by God": in reality this means government by religious leaders. Usually a certain interpretation of ancient religious laws replaces modern forms of law and is enforced with utmost severity.
    Example: Islamic Republic of Iran.

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  13. Instructions - snakes and laders


    1. Begin with the game pieces off the board, next to the number "1" space.


    2. Have the first player roll the die. That person then moves his game piece the number that he rolls on the die.


    3. Have the second player roll the die. He moves his game piece the number that he rolls on the die.


    4. Continue this pattern until the game is over.


    5. Move around the board in number order. Move from Space 1 to 2 to 3 and so on until you reach Space 100.


    6. Move your piece up the ladder to the space where the ladder ends, if it lands exactly on a spot with the beginning of a ladder.


    7. Move your piece down, to the space where the snake ends, if it lands at the beginning of a snake.


    8. Reach space 100 by exact roll and win the game. For example, if you're one space away from Space 100, you must roll a 1 to win.

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  14. Minecraft Instructions to play the game (PC Edition)
    Game Plan
    • The main is to mine and craft. It used to collect blocks, ores, tools and armour.
    How to survive
    • Kill wandering animals to collect food
    • Create blocks to make shelter as enemies turn into zombies etc
    • Mine ores to make tools and armour
    • Make shelters by crafting blocks and using them by building.

    How to play
    • Forward= W
    • Left= A
    • Right = D
    • Backward= S
    • Look Up= Up Arrow key
    • Look Down= Down Arrow key
    • Look Left= Left Arrow key
    • Look Right= Right Arrow key
    • Jump= Space Bar
    • Move to different sections of your inventory= Number Keys
    • Third Person view= F5
    • Mine= Hold and press mouse key
    • Place blocks= press mouse key
    • Shift+click= Opening crafting table inventory, furnace inventory, stone cutter inventory, removes stack of items from inventory and any other block which you can open inventory.
    • Opening your inventory= E button of the keyboard
    Enjoy playing the game,
    :)

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  15. The word "democracy," as well as the concept it represents, can be traced back to the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The beginnings of democracy can be credited to the Greeks of the sixth century BC. The word comes from two Greek words: demos, meaning "the people," and kratein, meaning "to rule." These two words are joined together to form democracy, literally meaning "rule by the people" (Pious). The Greek system of government was perhaps closer to a true democracy or rule by the people than any other in history. The Greeks viewed dictatorship as the worst possible form of government, so their government evolved as the exact opposite. Their civilization was broken down into small city-states (never more than 10,000 citizens), and all the men voted on all issues of government. There were no representatives in the Greek system of government. Instead, they ruled themselves directly; each man was a lifelong member of the decision making body. This was almost a total democracy except for the fact that women and slaves (over half of the population) were not considered citizens and were not allowed to vote. Despite this, no other civilization has come as close to democracy as its creators, the Greeks, and many later civilizations have incorporated this Greek idea as part of the foundation for their government (Lee; Lefebvre).

    Ideas of democracy similar to that of the Greeks were used by the Romans, though not to the same measure. The Roman Empire (509-27 BC) took some of their governmental ideals from the Greeks. Their government was a representative democracy, which had representatives from the nobility in the Senate and representatives from the commoners in the Assembly. Governmental power was divided between these two branches and they voted on various issues. Many Roman political thinkers were fond of democracy. The Roman Statesman, Cicero was one. Cicero suggested that all people have certain rights that should be preserved. He and other political philosophers of the time taught that governmental and political power should come from the people (Lefebvre; Lee). After the trend of democracy was started by the Greeks and carried on by the Romans, it has been seen in many later governmental systems throughout history.

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  16. ANCIENT GREEK DEMOCRACY


    The Ancient Greeks may be most famous for their ideas and philosophies on government and politics. It was in Greece, and particularly Athens, that democracy was first conceived and used as a primary form of government. A ruler in Athens would be called a Tyrant!!!

    The Greek City-State

    Ancient Greece was made up of city-states. A city-state was a major city and the surrounding areas. Each city-state had its own rule and government. Sometimes the city-states fought each other. Athens and Sparta were the two largest city-states and they had many wars and battles. The most famous war they won was the Trojan war!!!

    Types of Government

    There were three main types of government:
    • Democracy - A government ruled by the people, or assembly. Officials and leaders were elected and all citizens had a say.
    • Monarchy - A single ruler like a king. In Athens this ruler was called a Tyrant.
    • Oligarchy - When the government is ruled by a small group.
    Over time some city-states, like Athens would change governments. Sometimes they were ruled by Tyrants and, at other times, they were a democracy.

    Athenian Democracy

    Democracy in Ancient Greece was very direct. What this means is that all the citizens voted on all the laws. Rather than vote for representatives, like we do, each citizen was expected to vote for every law.

    They did have officials to run the government, however. Most of these officials were chosen by a lottery. So every citizen had a chance, regardless of their popularity or wealth, to become an official. A few key positions were voted on, such as the treasurer and the 10 generals who ran the army.

    Who could vote?

    In order to vote, you had to be a citizen. However, not everyone who lived in Athens was a citizen. Only men who had completed their military training were counted as citizens.

    Bodies of Government

    There were three main bodies of the government: the Assembly, the Council of 500, and the Courts.

    The Assembly included all citizens who showed up to vote. Everyone who was a citizen could participate as part of the assembly. The assembly would decide on new laws and important decisions, like whether or not to go to war.

    The Council oversaw much of the day-to-day running of the government. The Council was determined by lottery. If your name was chosen, then you would be on the council for one year.

    The Courts handled lawsuits and trials. The courts had large juries to help make decisions. For private lawsuits the jury was at least 201 people, for public lawsuits the jury was at least 501 people.

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  17. Greek forms of governments

    Democracy: government in which people participate
    The word democracy derives from the Greek dēmos which referred to the entire citizen body and although it is Athens which has become associated with the birth of democracy from around 460 BCE, other Greek states did establish a similar political system, notably, Argos, (briefly) Syracuse, Rhodes, and Erythrai. Athens is, however, the state we know most about. The assembly of Athens met at least once a month, perhaps two or three times, on the Pnyx hill in a dedicated space which could accommodate 6000 citizens. Any male citizen 18 years or over could speak (at least in theory) and vote in the assembly, usually with a simple show of hands. Attendance was even paid for in certain periods which was a measure to encourage citizens who lived far away and couldn’t afford the time-off to attend. Citizens probably accounted for 10-20% of the polis population, and of these it has been estimated that only 3,000 or so people actively participated in politics. Of this group, perhaps as few as 100 citizens - the wealthiest, most influential, and the best speakers - dominated the political arena both in front of the assembly and behind the scenes in private conspiratorial political meetings and groups. Critics of democracy, such as Thucydides and Aristophanes, also pointed out that the dēmos could be too easily swayed by a good orator or popular leaders (the demagogues) and get carried away with their emotions.

    Oligarchy: dictatorship
    An oligarchy is a system of political power controlled by a select group of individuals, sometimes small in number but it could also include large groups. For the Greeks (or more particularly the Athenians) any system which excluded power from the whole citizen-body and was not a tyranny or monarchy was described as an oligarchy. Oligarchies were perhaps the most common form of city-state government and they often occurred when democracy went wrong. Unfortunately, information concerning oligarchies in the Greek world is sparse. We know that in 411 BCE in Athens, ‘the oligarchy of the 400’ took power out of the hands of the Assembly and were themselves superseded by a more moderate oligarchy of 5000. In 404 BCE, following the defeat of the Athenian military forces in Sicily, there was an oligarchy of ‘the Thirty Tyrants’ in Athens which was a particularly brutal regime, noted for its summary executions. Megara and Thebes were other states which had an oligarchic system.
    Tyranny: dictatorship
    Tyranny was basically tyrants were sole rulers of a state who had taken power in an unconstitutional manner, often murdering their predecessor. However, Greek tyrants were not necessarily evil rulers (as the word signifies today); they simply looked after their own interests. Syracuse in Sicily had a run of famous tyrants, for example, Dionysios from 405 BCE and his son Dionysios II, who took over in 367 BCE. Others include Pesisistratos in Athens (from c. 560 BCE) - a typical benevolent tyrant who actually paved the way for democracy in Argos (c. 660 BCE), Lykophron in Thessaly, the Kypselidai, which included Periander, in Corinth (c. 657-585 BCE), and Polykrates in Samos (530-522 BCE). For Athenians, tyranny became the exact opposite of democracy.
    Monarchy
    In the Greek world monarchies were rare and were often only distinguishable from a tyranny when the hereditary ruler was more benevolent and ruled in the genuine interest of his people. The most famous monarchies were those in the states of Macedonia and Epeiros, where the ruler shared power with an assembly, limited though these were in practice. Although Sparta also possessed a citizen assembly, it is most famous for its system of two kings. Not absolute monarchs, they did, however, hold great power when they led the Spartan army in times of war. During peacetime the kings were kept in check by ephors who were themselves elected by the assembly. Clearly, a degree of political consensus was necessary for this overlapping apparatus to function.



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