Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman Perspectives

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1 STANDARD Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman Perspectives Specific Objective: Analyze the similarities and differences in Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman views of law, reason and faith, and duties of the individual. Read the summary to answer the questions on the next page. For much of human history, people have lived under the rule of kings or other rulers who held absolute power. A direct contrast is the system of democracy, in which people govern themselves through councils and agreed-upon laws. The earliest democracies arose in ancient Greece and Rome. Ancient Greece had a (limited) form of direct democracy. In a direct democracy, citizens represent themselves directly at councils. Ancient Rome saw the rise of the republic an indirect democracy in which citizens rule through representatives, whom they elect. Many countries today, including the United States, use the republic form of democracy. Greco-Roman Views Citizens should participate in government by voting, debating in public, making laws, serving on juries, and holding office. The world has natural laws patterns that can be discovered through reason and intellect, rather than superstition. Democracy can be protected by having branches of government: a legislative branch to make laws, an executive branch to approve laws, a judicial branch to resolve legal disputes. There should be written law. The development of democracy was supported by Judeo-Christian ideas, which spread in two main ways: After the Jews were exiled from Israel in a.d. 70, they brought their beliefs with them to their new lands. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, especially in the a.d. 400s, it became the dominant religion in Europe. Judeo-Christian Views Every person is born with worth and dignity because they were created by God. Every person has the ability to choose between doing good and doing wrong. Every person has the responsibility to help others in need and the community. CSS Specific Objective : Review 17

2 STANDARD Western Political Ideas of Tyranny Specific Objective: Trace the development of Western political ideas of rule of law and illegitimacy of tyranny, using selections from Plato s Republic and Aristotle s Politics. Read the summary to answer the questions on the next page. In ancient Greece, the word tyrant was used for any leader who took over a government. A tyrant typically won public support and then seized power. Only later did tyrant come to mean what it does today a leader who takes power illegally and abuses that power. Tyranny in ancient Greece could be seen as a step toward democracy because a tyrant often gained power with support of the people, while a king, for instance, did not. However, like a king, a tyrant held all of the power himself. Ancient Greek thinkers known as philosophers ( lovers of wisdom ) often considered how different forms of government, including tyranny, affected society. In The Republic, the philosopher Plato wrote that a tyrant becomes troublesome when he loves his power so much that he takes drastic measures to maintain it: At first, in the early days of his power, [the tyrant] is full of smiles... [but later] he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader. Plato, The Republic In Plato s view, a central reason that a tyrant becomes a problem is that the ruler has too much freedom freedom to do whatever he or she likes, without regard for law or reason. As a result, the ruler can become a danger to the people. Plato s famous student, Aristotle, said that not only does a tyrant have too much power, but acts selfishly, ultimately acting against the will and the benefit of the people. Aristotle wrote, in Politics, that tyranny:... is just that arbitrary power of an individual which is responsible to no one, and governs all... with a view to its own advantage, not to that of its subjects, and therefore against their will. Aristotle, Politics The influence of ancient Greek philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, extended beyond their time. Because they used logic and reason to think about the world and debate new ideas, they created a spirit of questioning and choice that aided the development of democracy. CSS Specific Objective : Review 19

3 STANDARD Influence of the U.S. Constitution on World Political Systems Specific Objective: Consider the influence of the U.S. Constitution on political systems in the contemporary world. Read the chart to answer the questions on the next page. The U.S. Constitution has influenced political systems throughout the world. This chart shows how some of its fundamental principles have been enacted. Principle Definition In the U.S. Constitution In the World Today Federalism The national government and the state governments share power. Powers are shared between the national government and the 50 state governments. In South Africa, power is shared between the national government and the governments of the nine provinces. Separation of Powers Government roles are divided among different branches, with no one branch holding all the power. There are three branches of government: legislative (Congress), executive (the president), and judicial (the courts). South Korea has three branches of government: parliament, a court system, and a president. Popular Sovereignty Individual Rights The government gets its authority from the people and reflects their will. Liberties and privileges are guaranteed to each citizen. The preamble says, We the people of the United States do ordain and establish this Constitution which indicates that government power comes from the people. The Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech, religion, the press, and other rights. The Japanese Constitution begins by saying that the government s power comes from the people and shall be used by them for their own benefit. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights says that all human beings are born free and equal and should have certain rights. CSS Specific Objective : Review 21

4 STANDARD The Enlightenment and Democratic Revolution Specific Objective: Compare the major ideas of philosophers and their effects on the democratic revolutions in England, the United States, France, and Latin America. Read the summary to answer the questions on the next page. The Enlightenment, an intellectual movement that spread from Europe to America in the 1700s, helped inspire democratic revolutions in Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Key enlightenment writers included Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. John Locke (England) People have natural rights to life, liberty, and the ownership of property. People form governments to protect these rights. Therefore, a government gets its authority from the people and should reflect their will. Influence: Locke s ideas influenced Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence, the basis of the American Revolution. It stated that people have natural unalienable rights and that a government derives its power from the people. Charles-Louis Montesquieu (France) Government should be kept under control though separation of powers a division into independent parts so that no part has too much power. A way to guarantee balance is to have three branches of government: a legislative branch to make laws; an executive branch to carry out and enforce laws; a judicial branch to interpret laws. Influence: Montesquieu s ideas influenced James Madison, sometimes called the father of the U.S. Constitution because of his many contributions at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. The constitution separates government powers into three branches. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (France) A social contract exists between citizens and their government. In this contract, citizens accept certain rights and responsibilities, and grant the government the power to uphold those rights and responsibilities. Influence: The ideas of Locke and Rousseau influenced Latin-American revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar. Bolívar fought to liberate his country, present-day Venezuela, from Spanish rule. He also led movements for independence and democracy in what are now the nations of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru. CSS Specific Objective : Review 23

5 STANDARD Documents of Democracy Specific Objective: List the principles of the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights (1689), the American Declaration of Independence (1776), the French Declaration of Rights of Man and the Citizen (1789), and the U.S. Bill of Rights (1791). Read the summary to answer the questions on the next page. Because of their traditions as English citizens, American colonists expected to have the rights granted in England by the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights. However, they were often denied these rights, and tensions grew in the colonies, leading toward revolution. Many principles of the earlier British documents continued in the American Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. In Europe, some of the same principles and traditions carried into the French Declaration of Rights of Man and the Citizen. Magna Carta (1215, England) Limited the powers of the king Laid the basis for due process of law law should be known and orderly Prohibited the king from taking property or taxes without consent of a council English Bill of Rights (1689) Guaranteed free elections and frequent meetings of Parliament Forbade excessive fines and cruel punishment Gave people the right to complain to the king or queen in Parliament Established representative government laws made by a group that acts for the people American Declaration of Independence (1776) Said that all men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; these are unalienable rights rights that government cannot take away Said that governments get their power from the consent of the governed the idea of popular sovereignty French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789) Said that men are born and remain free and equal in rights Said that the purpose of government is to protect natural rights, including liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression Guaranteed freedom of speech and freedom of religion U.S. Bill of Rights (1791) Guaranteed freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press Guaranteed due process of law, including protection from unfair imprisonment Guaranteed trial by jury; protected people from cruel and unusual punishment CSS Specific Objective : Review 25

6 STANDARD The American Revolution Specific Objective: Understand the unique character of the American Revolution, its spread to other parts of the world, and its continuing significance to other nations. Read the summaries and time line to answer the questions on the next page. The American Revolution was rooted in the belief that people possess natural rights and that government has a responsibility to protect those rights. American Patriots believed that the British government had violated their rights. As a result, they declared their independence from British rule and sought to create their own government. Key Events in the American Revolution 1760s American colonists protest unfair taxes and other rights violations by the British War breaks out as shots are fired between colonists and British soldiers American colonists issue a Declaration of Independence from British rule British Army surrenders; Americans achieve independence States agree to a weak central government under the Articles of Confederation States accept the U.S. Constitution, creating a stronger national government The Bill of Rights is added to the U.S. Constitution. Unique Success The American Revolution ocurred during an era of revolutionary movements. Not all revolutions succeeded in creating stable democracy. For example, after the French Revolution in 1789, France descended into chaos, as people rebelled against many traditions. A dictatorship took over in By contrast, the American colonists rebelled mainly against British rule. After the revolution, they established laws that protected individual rights balanced with representative national and state governments. Other Revolutionary Movements The American Revolution was the first of a series of wars for independence that shared some common beliefs. Shared ideas included an emphasis on individual rights and the idea that a government s power comes from the people. French Revolution Haitian Revolution Batavian Revolution (Netherlands) Latin-American Wars for Independence (Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, and more) Greek war for independence CSS Specific Objective : Review 27

7 STANDARD The French Revolution Specific Objective: Explain how the ideology of the French Revolution led France to develop from a constitutional monarchy to democratic despotism to the Napoleonic empire. Read the summary and cause-effect graphic to answer questions on the next page. Like the American Revolution, the French Revolution of 1789 erupted after years of yearning for freedom and justice. Unlike the American Revolution, the revolutionary movement in France ended not in democracy but in dictatorship. Revolutionaries succeeded in overthrowing the French Old Regime that had divided the people into three unequal social classes, or estates. But old problems of poverty and injustice remained. Revolutionaries could not agree on solutions and fought to keep control of the country. A period in the early 1790s was known as the Reign of Terror for the mass executions carried out by the revolutionary government s Committee for Public Safety. Meanwhile, poverty and chaos wearied the nation. Stability came only after the military leader Napoleon Bonaparte seized control as dictator in His powers as dictator led again to instability, however, continuing for generations. France did not adopt a constitution that guaranteed representative government until Cause and Effect in the French Revolution Repression Example: Napoleon Bonaparte takes power; he accepts some revolutionary goals and restores order to a nation, but at the expense of individual rights. Injustice Example: Absolute rule of King Louis XVI creates social and economic injustice; the king spends excessively and taxes the people heavily. Uprising Example: While the new government cannot agree on a constitution, right-wing nobles fight for return of the king and left-wing radicals take the law into their hands. Revolution Example: The Third Estate, the largest social class in France, names itself the National Assembly and takes over the government. CSS Specific Objective : Review 29

8 STANDARD European Nationalism from Napoleon Until the Revolutions of 1848 Specific Objective: Discuss how nationalism spread across Europe with Napoleon but was repressed for a generation under the Congress of Vienna and Concert of Europe until the Revolutions of Read the summaries to answer the questions on the next page. After Napoleon Bonaparte seized control of France in 1799, he went on to expand his power across the continent. By 1812, he controlled much of Europe. However, many of the conquered lands rumbled with nationalism loyalty to their own nations above all. Nationalists rose to throw off Napoleonic rule. As a result, Napoleon suffered a series of significant military defeats from 1812 to 1815, when his empire came to an end at the Battle of Waterloo. The Congress of Vienna, What and why: A series of international meetings to secure peace across Europe Who: King Frederick William III of Prussia, Czar Alexander I of Russia, Emperor Francis I of Austria; foreign ministers from Britain and France; and, most importantly, Klemens von Metternich, foreign minister of Austria Countries around France were made stronger to weaken France and provide a balance of power across Europe. Monarchies that had been dethroned under Napoleon were restored and their legitimacy hereditary right to rule was proclaimed in France and elsewhere. Concert of Europe, c What and why: An international alliance that met when peacekeeping issues arose Who: the Holy Alliance of the leaders of Russia, Austria, and Prussia, led by Klemens von Metternich Royal rulers promised to help each other in the event of revolution. Revolutions of 1848 What and why: Uprisings for self-government in France, the Austrian Empire, and the German and Italian states Who: Nationalists who claimed loyalty to their fellow people rather than royal rulers Nationalists wanted nation-states national governments that are independent from royal rule and serve the people and their ideals. Nationalists believed they would be united by their shared history, culture, and land rather than by any one ruler. The uprisings were quickly repressed, but their ideals persisted; within 20 years nationalist movements had turned the scattered states of Germany and Italy into two new, unified nation-states. CSS Specific Objective : Review 31