...diffusion for Athens and Sparta. In Rome, the Italian peninsula promoted cultural diffusion. A mountain is a large landform that has a high elevation and is a geographic factor. Ancient Greece had many mountains which hindered cultural diffusion of different city-states. The ancient city-state Athens is well-known for its development in democracy and creating...
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...Greek city-states formed; with this brought different styles of government such as oligarchy, tyranny and democracy. This is also the era that Greeks started to develop personal freedoms and rights. In Athens free men were considered citizens that could vote. It was during the Archaic that the Greeks also started to develop artistic expression and thinking more about the ways the world around them functioned. During the Golden Age, Greeks fine-tuned their democratic government, Athens- which had been the most democratic city-state, expanded that role as it began to form alliances with other strategic communities. It was during the Golden Age...
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...When considering the history of democracy, Ancient Athens is perhaps the culture that came closest to direct democracy. Although they excluded women, slaves and foreigners, the democratic system required all citizens to vote on all major issues in a general assembly. The boule consisted of 500 citizens commissioned to carry out these decisions and run the city. Even the verdict of every court case was decided by a vote of the Assembly. With this system, all citizens were actively and constantly involved in the running of all political life. Since the French Revolution, representative democracy has spread throughout most of the world. These governments consist of complex structures, in which the legislature is carried out by a parliament. With the influence of media and the overall advancement of technology, such as the Internet, the voting behaviour of citizens in contemporary democracies has caused many transnational bodies, such as the EU, to question the sovereignty of each country and its chosen representatives. As a result, one could ask what structures of direct democracies can exist in such a time where the conditions have changed drastically since old Athens? Furthermore, do they constitute meaningful alternatives to representative democracy? For this investigation, a line needs to be drawn between the different types of instruments used by direct democracies. In the first part, I will focus on instruments of direct democracies that influence the executive branch...
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...as his intentions to continue to practice the life of a philosopher may not have been morally wrong, his methods however unlawful during Athenian times. Socrates was not a member of a modern day society where innovative thought was encouraged, and freedom of speech tolerated. He chose to be a member of Athenian society therefore needed to conform to the requirements set out by the city. Suggesting other God’s and questioning the Gods of the city do not meet the requirements of the city. He ultimately does corrupt the young through speaking his beliefs in public forums, and captivating the youth during these discussions. Furthermore he does threaten democratic Athens as he challenges their political system by questioning it and encouraging others to do the same. The charges are not of what is just or unjust but rather did Socrates corrupt the...
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...Jordan Gabson Writing and Rhetoric Tuesday April 30, 2015 Democracy vs. Communism Communism has always been used as secret weapon to make the poor believe that being rich is inappropriate, and that the poor have less because the rich people took the money away from them. In reality, the communist government wants to take the money from the wealthy to make the governing body itself rich. Democracy, on the other hand, promotes capitalism, which allows economic freedom, which helps political freedom; efficiency, economic growth, and everybody having the opportunity to start the business that he or she desires. Communism and democracy are two different ideologies that have each had a great impact in the world. Communism can be defined as a socioeconomic structure that stands for the establishment of classless, egalitarian and stateless society. Democracy, on the other hand, is a political system of governance either carried out by the people directly or by elected representatives. “Democracy may not be the perfect form of government, but sure it is way better than communism” said Jones in his journal, Power and Democracy Education Every single human being in the world knows that this is not true. Everybody knows that communism is a secret weapon that the rulers in the countries where communism is practiced use it to enrich themselves, their families and their friends. Communism is...
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...and Peloponnesian Wars, and the time in between while Athens was at its greatest, Pericles rose to an iconic role of statesman, orator and war general. His prevalence and demeanor to the issues and situations surrounding the time allowed Athens to rain supreme. His speeches were influential and achievements spoke as loud as his words. Pericles was the ultimate Athenian. To fully assess Pericles, all his characteristics and positions of power need to be considered. He was a political leader, a military leader and an orator. These three separate entities require a man of great following, prowess and the total embodiment of an Athenian. So where to start when evaluating Pericles? Was he a culmination of his leadership roles or was one aspect of his legacy the determining factor to his ascertation of one of history's greatest minds? One must induce that the situations surrounding himself, his countrymen and the overall goal of the state of Athens were decisions that were not easily made and required an exuberant amount of strategy to preserve all that he stood for. Pericles, according to Thucydides, was Athen's “first citizen”. His initial actions were that of a soldier. Pericles led Athens in battle during the first Peloponnesian War. After heading several attacks, he developed a new theory for political strategy. While combining strategy and politics, Pericles amassed a following in Athens. Although Athens was imperialistic, Pericles sought to preserve rather...
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...The essence of this essay is to explore democracy, 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...
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...I-Introduction: The term "realism" was first used to formulate the philosophical doctrine that "universals exist outside of the mind" (Freyberg-Inan, 1). Yet, in political theory, "realism" represents a school of thought that analyzes the political process as it is or as it is disclosed by historical forces " ... that the able political practitioner takes into account ... and incorporates ... into his political conceptions and his political acts "(Ibid, 1-2). In the field of international relations, realism became the dominant analytical paradigm mostly after the start of the Second World War, when it displaced idealist doctrines, promising "to provide more accurate information, more powerful, and more relevant answers" to the roots or causes of peace and war (Brecher& Harvey, 54). At the same time, many features of the current realist paradigm can be traced back to the time of Thucydides, Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes. Among contemporary thinkers recognized as major writers and contributors to the realist tradition are Hans Morgenthau, Edward Carr and Kenneth Waltz (Freyberg-Inan, 8). What are then the basic tenets or common features of a realist thinker? Machiavelli would acknowledge that to be a realist one has to look at history as "a sequence of cause and effect whose course can be analysed and understood by intellectual effort, but not directed by imagination" (Carr, 64). Hobbes would persist in the same train of thought and insist that to be a realist thinker...
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...Plato and Play Taking Education Seriously in Ancient Greece Armand D’Angour In this article, the author outlines Plato’s notions of play in ancient Greek culture and shows how the philosopher’s views on play can be best appreciated against the background of shifting meanings and evaluations of play in classical Greece. Play—in various forms such as word play, ritual, and music—proved central to the development of Hellenic culture. In ancient Greece, play (paidia) was intrinsically associated with children (paides). However, both children and play assumed a greater cultural significance as literacy—and, consequently, education (paideia)— developed during the classical age of 500–300 BCE. Uniquely among ancient thinkers, Plato recognized that play influenced the way children developed as adults, and he proposed to regulate play for social ends. But Plato’s attitude toward play was ambivalent. Inclined to consider play an unworthy activity for adults, he seemed to suggest that intellectual play in some form, as demonstrated in the dialectical banter of Socrates, could provide a stimulus to understanding. Key words: education in ancient Greece; play and child development; play and education; play and Plato; Socratic dialectic Among various plausible misquotations that surface from time to time is a piece of popular wisdom attributed to Plato to the effect that “you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” It was quoted by Alaska Governor...
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...Revision Notes Brief Definitions Autonomy - A group or individual who has the ability to govern themselves, make decisions and act upon those decisions. Self-Government. Democracy – A government ruled by the people, and consisting of ‘the people’. Direct Democracy – Electors (the people) vote on every Government Issue. Representative – Electors vote in a person to represent ‘the people’. Ideology – A set of rules, morals and political views that governments base their ideals on. Usually includes a view of human nature. Social Contract – The mutual agreement between the people and the government on issues that affect the country and the people within, such as rights and duties. Theocracy – Government, which subscribes to the ideals of religion. Rule by god. Tyranny – Government by one unelected individual who imposes his will upon the population. Note: Some Tyrannies may be elected into power through deception. Eg, Hitler’s German Nazi Party Capitalism – A society in which everybody works for their own gain, and/or financial development. Can lead to massive growth in middle classes. Political Philosophy is aimed at analysing how a society works and how they are governed by a ruling power. It seeks to evaluate the different ethical and political standpoints in different political parties, and analyse how they affect the citizens of the country/state. Some key ideologies include; Conservatism Tradition and custom is more important than change, unless change is desperately...
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...Text and Context in Russian Legislation With Specific Reference To The Russian Constitution Nigel J. Jamieson* ABSTRACT Law and politics have a closer inter-textual relationship in Russian jurisprudence than would be understood generally of any European legal system. The closeness of this inter-textual relationship can be partly explained by history, culture, and language, as also by dialectics, ideologies, and literature. Concepts of law, government, and the state, together with concepts of federalism, democracy, and the rule of law, can vary so markedly from their apparently translatable equivalents that, even when recognising the formal concept of a codified Constitution, the inter-textual relationship between the enacted law and politics remains so dynamic as to be impossible to tell which it is, of law or of politics, that is the text, and which the context. This inter-textual relationship remains so strongly and continuously dynamic at the level of public and international law that the customary division by which lawyers, and common lawyers especially, assume law to be the text and politics to be the context carries a critical risk. This paper identifies that risk in terms of law, literature, and logic, as well as in terms of history, politics, and dialectics. To focus solely on law as a specialism without any more syncretic and synergic account of the other contributing disciplines, is to make the textual tail of the law wag the contextual dogsbody...
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...Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….16 Index of Abbreviations BTC- Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan EEC- European Economic Community EU-European Union EC- European Council EP- European Parliament FAO- Food and agriculture organization SEES-Southeastern European states Introduction Europe - the cradle of human civilization, boiling pot full of many various nationalities, cultures and languages. Geographical borders within and outside of the Europe have changed every time when a new Empires began to flourish. Even now, in the 21st century borders of EU are not defined clearly. Should the Borders be set according to the historical data, geographical location or according to the economical benefits? It is a very controversial topic. How does every additional member of EU affect the economical, political and demographical atmosphere within the EU? In order to find answer to these questions, a lot of historical data has to be analyzed and various economic theories must be considered. European...
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...INR 2001: Intro to International Relations January 12, 2015 Big Themes in International Relations * Conflict or Cooperation? Pays to Cooperate: Success in business- Don’t shoot customers * Major Actors in Conflicts * Chines, Navy, NATO, and Somali Pirates * States fighting other states * States fighting rebellions within the state * Conflict between non-state actors * Not all conflict is between states, much if not most is below the level of state-state conflict * Conflict maybe driven by man interests- ethnic conflict, material resources, land * Cooperation * Lots of Conflict and lots of Cooperation * Examples * Cooperation focused on economic issues, why? * All sides gain from economic exchange so it literally pays to cooperate * Is cooperation or conflict the natural state? * Economic cooperation mitigates conflict * Globalization or Fragmentation? * France-Germany and the European Union * Free trade agreements and NAFTA * What is Globalization * Examples: * Increasing level interconnectedness * What it means for international relations * More interdependence * Cultural aspects, both positive and negative * Is globalization a new phenomena * Less and less dialogue more usual stuff happening * 50 million died as a result 1918 Spanish...
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...Religions influence on American Democracy and it's effect on Globalization Abstract A person's religious beliefs greatly influence his or her ethical behaviors. According to reports, religion is one of the strongest motivators for individuals to exhibit ethical behaviors in all areas of their lives. Modern thought tends to see religion as one sphere of society, alongside politics, economics, science, family, morality and so on. There is much written about business and organizational ethics but there is little written about the behaviors that people display to demonstrate they are ethical humans. It is almost as if an organization is perceived as an entity capable of doing behaviors without the human element. Decisions within the corporate world are shaped not merely by ethical ideals but also by economic, social, political and legal constraints. Christian ethics, for most people, becomes the art of discerning the morally "more or less," the less than perfect "better or worse," in the myriad of trade-offs among competing values and interests. Modern thought tends to see religion as one sphere of society, alongside politics, economics, science, family, morality and so on. There is much written about business and organizational ethics but there is little written about the behaviors that people display to demonstrate they are ethical humans. It is almost as if an organization is perceived as an entity capable of doing behaviors without the human element. This...
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...of human beings it self. One basic nature of human beings related with this statement is the fact that “man is a social animal” whose life is closely related to each other. Almost all instincts, demands and progresses of human beings are fulfilled in society. The superiority that human beings try to achieve over nature and other living things is the result of the social bond among human beings. If such bond is a requirement for the survival of human beings, then what should be the pattern of social interaction that exist among human beings is closely related with the subject matter of civics. In this regard civics is considered as a subject field which is mainly concerned with teaching citizens as to how they can live harmonious and peaceful life with other citizens and as to how they can resolve conflicts peacefully among them selves. The other basic nature of human being is the political view of philosophy by Plato that, “Man is a political animal”, which means no human being can escape from the deeds of politics and its dayto-day life is either directly or indirectly affected by it. For this reason human beings have to know the workings of politics, institutions that affect their day to day life, norms, principles and laws which are set in motion by politicians to govern their societies and above all the duties and rights that they have in the political community in which they are leading their life. So, civics tries to make them familiar with such and other concepts that make...
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