...Presidential election with George W. Bush and Al A. Gore running closely side by side. There was debate in the legitimacy of the electoral votes cast in Florida earlier in time, so the suspense rising in America’s final decision is enormous. Looks like Gore holds this trophy for popular votes with a close 543,895 votes winning over Bush. According to previous elections, Gore has this competition conquered, the results come in; George W. Bush is our new president! With a slim win by 5 electoral votes, Bush is our new president. Wait a second, popular vote is that not the votes of qualified voters of the population? In America today, political decisions are decided democratically by its residents. Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George Bush is still the decided president. Then what is democracy, where did it come from, is our current democratic society a progression or is it a regression of democracy’s evolution? America has a government decided by the population of America; at least that is of the idea of a democratic society. Let us then compare American democracy to where democracy was created. The reason why everyone votes is to make a unanimous decision of who will become the leaders of a country. Democracy is just that, a government where the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation. Joseph states in his book Homo Sapience: “Senates successfully administered a nation for the benefit of...
Words: 1413 - Pages: 6
...because of the climate and because it had good soil for agriculture, as well as having live stock and generally warm weather. They also started an early form of direct democracy. This new form of democracy was known as a direct democracy which basically meant that the people have a direct say in their government unlike the democracy we have today in america, which sends our votes to the electoral college to be counted and then based on those votes the decision is finally decided by the electoral college. Greece however created a system where everyone was heard, there was no middle...
Words: 498 - Pages: 2
...Pages 143-157 S = The Development and Transformation of SOCIAL STRUCTURES P = POLITICAL SYSTEMS (State-Building, Expansion, and Conflict) I = INTERACTIONS between Humans and the Environment C = Development and Interaction of CULTURES E = Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of ECONOMIC SYSTEMS P&S- Solon ended the monopoly over public office held by the Athenian hereditary aristocracy P- Opened all men to making decisions (Council of Four hundred) P,E&S- Solon cancelled all public and private debts, and abolished the practice of enslaving people to pay off their debts E- When Peisistratus seized control, there was economic growth through loans to small farmers P- A new ruler Cleisthenes came to power and reorganized the city S- He did away with aristocratic family centers of power & reorganized the electoral diselectoral units creating new political identities and allegiances P- Athens was at the height of its power and prestige under the military and civic leadership of Pericles S&C- Greek victory led by Athens triggered immense pride in the city-state C- Public building ladder C- The amphitheater where plays were regularly performed I- During the war years, the Persians had destroyed and burned much of Athens C- When the war ended the Athenians rebuild and improved S- Socrates + Plato began produced questions about life C- Ideas about the ideal states which Plato had created C- Plato addressed ideas about logic, physics, astronomy etc C- Plays...
Words: 550 - Pages: 3
...'democracy' can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Like other words ending in 'cracy' - autocracy, aristocracy, bureaucracy and so on -democracy is derived from the Greek word kratos, meaning 'power' or 'rule'. Democracy thus stands for 'rule by the demos', demos meaning 'the people', though it was originally taken to imply 'the poor' or 'the many'. However, the simple notion of 'rule by the people' does not get us very far. The problem with democracy has been its very popularity, a popularity that has threatened the term's undoing as a meaningful political concept. In being almost universally regarded as a 'good thing', democracy has come to used as little more than a 'hurrah! word', implying approval of a particular set of ideas or system of rule. Perhaps a more helpful starting point from which to consider the nature of democracy is provided by Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered in 1864 at the height of the American Civil War. Lincoln extolled the virtues of what he called 'government of the people, by the people, and for the people'. What this makes clear is that democracy serves to link government to the people, but that this link can be forged in a number of ways - government of, by and for the people. Nevertheless, the precise nature of democratic rule has been the subject of fierce ideological and political debate. The next section will look at alternative models of democracy. For the time being, however, the terms of the democratic debate are explored...
Words: 1978 - Pages: 8
...Jacques Carlos Flores Philosophical Thought School of Humanities and Social Sciences Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane Essay Question 3: ------------------------------------------------- Plato’s defines political justice as each social class doing what it is supposed to do according to its nature and function within society. This definition then serves as the basis for his criticism of democracy. Critically evaluate Plato’s criticism of democracy. Throughout the course of history, every nation has struggled at some point in choosing the correct form of government that is most adequate to its functioning. Depending on many variables such as human and natural resources, geography, and diplomacy, each state has selected a political system that ranges from totalitarian regimes to mass democracies. Centuries before that, philosophers were debating about the significance of each form of government. Although modern political studies assert that democracy is the best form of government as it gives the power to people, some historic thinkers had their criticisms about the democratic approach and its incompatibility with the factual meaning of political justice. Plato was one of the most pivotal figures of philosophical thoughts that still have an impact on modern thinking. He was one of the philosophers who criticized the pure democracy pledging that it is governed by mass thinking rather than through individualistic ideals, which goes against the foundations of political justice...
Words: 1675 - Pages: 7
...democratic consolidation and democratization. It further explains why democratization takes different ‘flight trajectories’ in different developing countries. It is difficult to reach a consensus on the definition of democracy. However, the main idea of democracy is widely accepted to have originated from Athens in the 5th century BC. The Webster New Encyclopedic Dictionary (1995) defines democracy as a government in which supreme power is invested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through representation. According to Lindel, and Scott (1999), the term originates from the Greek word (demokratia) which simply means “rule of the people” and it was coined from (demos) “people” and (kratos) “power” or “rule” in the 5th century B.C. It is important to note that the political system postulated by the Athenians was such that democratic citizenship was exclusive to an elite class of free men only. Slaves and women were excluded from participation. Furthermore, in a lecture titled “What is Democracy”? Diamond (2004) gave an overview of what in his opinion is democracy. He describes democracy as a system of government with four key elements: a system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; protection of the human rights of all citizens; and a rule of law in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens. Popper as cited in Javie (2006)...
Words: 3633 - Pages: 15
...Al-Qaeda making comeback in Iraq, officials say BAGHDAD (AP) — Al-Qaeda is rebuilding in Iraq and has set up training camps for insurgents in the nation's western deserts as the extremist group seizes on regional instability and government security failures to regain strength, officials say. / Iraq has seen a jump in al-Qaeda attacks over the last 10 weeks, and officials believe most of the fighters are former prisoners who have either escaped from jail or were released by Iraqi authorities for lack of evidence after the U.S. military withdrawal last December. Many are said to be Saudi or from Sunni-dominated Gulf states. Teenage School Activist Survives Attack by Taliban At the age of 11, Malala Yousafzai took on the Taliban by giving voice to her dreams. As turbaned fighters swept through her town in northwestern Pakistan in 2009, the tiny schoolgirl spoke out about her passion for education — she wanted to become a doctor, she said — and became a symbol of defiance against Taliban subjugation. / On Tuesday, masked Taliban gunmen answered Ms. Yousafzai’s courage with bullets, singling out the 14-year-old on a bus filled with terrified schoolchildren, then shooting her in the head and neck. Two other girls were also wounded in the attack. All three survived, but late on Tuesday doctors said that Ms. Yousafzai was in critical condition at a hospital in Peshawar, with a bullet possibly lodged close to her brain. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu calls for early elections JERUSALEM...
Words: 2221 - Pages: 9
...2012 U.S. Presidential Electoral Performance Review In Barack Obama’s passionate acceptance speech for president on Nov 5th, the fierce political campaigns between him and Mitt Romney came to an end. From making speeches through television to shaking hands with potential voters, from preparing debate questions to interacting with journalists, both the incumbent president from the Democratic Party and the nominee from the Republican Party have made great efforts to present themselves as the potential president for audiences. This essay will analyze their political performances by looking at the actor(s) in this campaign, collective representation, means of symbolic production, mise en scene, social power and the role of audiences and media based on Alexander’s work on cultural pragmatics. Their performances (especially Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s performances) between the first presidential political debate on Oct 2nd and the “Big Day” on Nov 5th will be reviewed. Undoubtedly, the actors in this political campaign are Democratic Party candidate Obama and Republican Party candidate Romney. Barack Obama as an incumbent president who won the 2008 election with his slogan called “Changes we can believe in”, however, he only faces “things can be worse” by now. For him, in all the three debates, he always tried to demonstrate that he had made great efforts in the past four years, his efforts can sustain in his second term and things will get better but they also take time...
Words: 1437 - Pages: 6
...humanity. Some of these changes have been for the better, and others have been fraudulent. The first form of voting originated in Ancient Athens where Greeks would use small balls to vote. A white ball would be cast in favor of a candidate or a topic and a black ball would be cast to vote against someone or something. This is where the term black balled came from (Glenco). Then a couple thousand or so years later came paper ballots, lever machines, punch cards, optical scans, and touch screens. The three most well known ways of voting are by optical scanners, punch cards, and touch screens. In which touch-screens are the most dominant in America Today. There have been major incidents with all of these machines that have caused doubt about whether the results are truly accurate or a miscalculation. The best way to solve this problem is to no longer use any by optical scanners, punch cards, or touch screens and make voting possible online. Internet voting seems like the most logical answer to the current problems faced by these machines and punch cards. It is also possible to have internet voting while ensuring that the votes are accurate. New voting technologies tend to emerge out of crises of confidence as seen prominently in the 2000 presidential election. We only rarely change systems and in response to a public anxiety that electoral results can no longer be trusted. There have been many incidents where previous voting machines have failed and made the results untrustworthy...
Words: 3212 - Pages: 13
...Federal Government 01JUN2014 Practical politics are as old as the beginning of time. 1) Practical politics are about trying to make people do what they want to do. a. George Washington Plunckit senator of Tammany Hall, named after a chief Indian. He believed in honest graft” and meant that he would be able to take a little bit of the wealth from the people. b. Kick back scheme is about giving out contracts and then they give money of the government money back to the person to the beginning. c. Niccolo Machiavelli “The Prince” 15, 16 century and condemned by the Catholic Church. Nic and Machiavelli was used by shakespear and the Nick-name was derived from it. Use of the nick name was mostly used to disassociate from the vast amount of evil doing. 2) Political Philosophy and Political theory d. Asks normative as well as empirical question. i. Normative is about value such as the best form of government and justice ii. Empirical is more about factual such as the amount of states or colonies. 1. Aristottle 5th BC and teacher of natural law theory and about natural inequality. a. Very similar about the natural rights theory of John locke’s, written some time in the 1680s. This are the same as the one that Thomas Jefferson’s work in the Declaration of Independence. That by, nature have the right to have the same amount of equality of political rights. e. Karl...
Words: 4651 - Pages: 19
...Federal Government 01JUN2014 Practical politics are as old as the beginning of time. 1) Practical politics are about trying to make people do what they want to do. a. George Washington Plunckit senator of Tammany Hall, named after a chief Indian. He believed in honest graft” and meant that he would be able to take a little bit of the wealth from the people. b. Kick back scheme is about giving out contracts and then they give money of the government money back to the person to the beginning. c. Niccolo Machiavelli “The Prince” 15, 16 century and condemned by the Catholic Church. Nic and Machiavelli was used by shakespear and the Nick-name was derived from it. Use of the nick name was mostly used to disassociate from the vast amount of evil doing. 2) Political Philosophy and Political theory d. Asks normative as well as empirical question. i. Normative is about value such as the best form of government and justice ii. Empirical is more about factual such as the amount of states or colonies. 1. Aristottle 5th BC and teacher of natural law theory and about natural inequality. a. Very similar about the natural rights theory of John locke’s, written some time in the 1680s. This are the same as the one that Thomas Jefferson’s work in the Declaration of Independence. That by, nature have the right to have the same amount of equality of political rights. e. Karl...
Words: 4651 - Pages: 19
...sure you understand each of these topics before proceeding to the test. The exam will be timed so you will not have the ability to peruse your notes or retake the exam. The exam itself will consist of 30 multiple choice questions and you will have 35 minutes to complete the exam. Federalism: The Basic elements of a Federal system of government (i.e. how is it structured/how power is shared) • Layers of gov • Equal power • Distinct powers Powers of the federal government: delegated powers, implied powers (necessary and proper clause), and concurrent powers. • Delegated Powers: (expressed/enumerated powers) powers given to the federal government directly by the constitution. Some most important delegated powers are: the authority to tax, regulated interstate commerce, authority to declare war, and grants the president role of commander and chief of the military • Implied Powers: Powers not expressed in the constitution, but that can be inferred. “Necessary and proper clause” • Concurrent powers: powers shared by both levels of government. Ex: Taxes, roads, elections, commerce, establishing courts and a judicial system • Reserved powers: powers not assigned by the constitution to the national government but left to the states or the people. Guaranteed by the 10th amendment. Include “police power”-health and public welfare, intra-state commerce. Example of police powers: Gonzales vs Raich (2005) and California Medical Marijuana. The parts...
Words: 37488 - Pages: 150
...MACROECONOMICS Greek debt crisis: causes Instructor: Mou Hui Student: Galina Bogdanova JX1208903 Contents Introduction 3 Timeline of the Greek Debt Crisis 4 Causes 8 Internal 8 1. GDP growth rates 8 2. Unrestrained spending 11 3. Greek public debt 12 4. Statistical credibility 14 External Causes of the Greek Crisis 14 Influence on the evaluation of the crisis 15 Impact of the crisis on the country's macroeconomic indicators 18 Conclusion 22 References 24 Introduction International crisis 2008 has not only exacerbated the Greek economic situation, but has also intensely brought forward the economy’s deeply rooted and chronic weaknesses. The main argument of the paper is that the main cause of the Greek economic crisis is not the recent global economic instability, neither the outcome of political management practices of the latest Center Right government (2004-2009). Rather, the situation in Greece is the obvious outcome of a series of incorrect government choices and omissions during the last three decades and not a recent phenomenon at all. Greek economy fulfills the main criteria of a “weak economy”. Economic and fiscal measures undertaken by the Socialist government under the guidance of the IMF will fail to succeed unless they are followed by clear, transparent development initiatives, which is not the case until now. The purpose of this paper is to approve that the current Greek crisis is the consequence of inappropriate domestic...
Words: 7675 - Pages: 31
...Financial Crisis in the European Union: The Cases of Greece and Ireland Sara F. Taylor Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Political Science Scott G. Nelson, Chair Karen M. Hult Deborah J. Milly September 7, 2011 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: EUROPEAN UNION, EUROZONE, GREECE FINANCIAL CRISIS, IRELAND BANKING CRISIS, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK Copyright 2011 Sara F. Taylor Financial Crisis in the European Union: The Cases of Greece and Ireland Sara Frances Taylor ABSTRACT The 2008 eurozone financial crisis has only worsened as of summer 2011 raising questions about the economic future of the eurozone and sending shock waves through economies around the world. Greece was the first state to receive a bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, surprisingly followed only six months later by Ireland. The goal of this thesis is to analyze the challenges posed to smaller, weaker economies within the eurozone, specifically Greece and Ireland, since the recent eurozone financial crisis. This study is based on the experiences of both Greece and Ireland as very different members of the single currency. How and why did these states meet the criteria for euro convergence? To what extent was there support for the euro in both countries in the past? To what extent is there support today after the near collapse...
Words: 30568 - Pages: 123
... 1 Factors determining citizenship: - Parents are citizens -Born within a county -Marriage to a citizen -Naturalization 2 History * 2.1 Polis citizenship * 2.2 Roman ideas of citizenship * 2.3 Middle Ages * 2.4 Renaissance * 2.5 Modern times 3 Different senses of citizenship -International citizenship -Commonwealth citizenship -European Union citizenship -Subnational citizenship Citizenship education * United Kingdom * Ireland citizenship in Bangladesh CITIZENSHIP: Citizenship laws are based upon the Bangladesh Citizenship Order dated 1972. Questions concerning persons born before March 26, 1971, should be directed to the Bangladesh Embassy. (UKC-Commonwealth Nation) BY BIRTH: Birth within the territory of Bangladesh does not automatically confer citizenship. Only persons born before March 26, 1971 would be deemed Bangladesh citizens by birth. BY DESCENT: Rules stated below apply to persons born after March 26, 1971. Child born of a Bangladesh father, regardless of the child's country of birth. Child whose grandfather was a citizen of Bangladesh, regardless of the child's country of birth. Child born of a Bangladesh mother and an unknown or stateless father, regardless of the child's country of birth. OTHER: Person who was a permanent resident of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971, is granted citizenship, unless disqualified by law at that time. BY NATURALIZATION: A person...
Words: 17350 - Pages: 70
