Meetings and Moderation in History

TERM PAPER

Meetings and Moderation in History

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Table 1 Salvador Dali, The persistence of Memory “melting clocks”, 1931

Table of contents

1. Introduction 3
2. Roman senate 3

2.1. Organization of a Roman senate meeting 3

3. Congress of Vienna 4
3.1. Organization of Congress of Vienna 4
5. Discussion 5
6. Conclusion 6
Bibliography

Table of figures

1. Introduction

First of all I would like to mention that there are so many meetings in history that the decision which to choose isn’t easy at all. In history by research you find a lot of religious and political meetings, for instance the Council of Constance or the Treaty of Versaille or the sport meetings like the ancient Olympic games.
After a long while I have made my decision to write about two meetings in history whose results in my view affect our daily lifes. I want to demonstrate on the basis of my chosen sessions how these were organized and moderated.
Besides I want to mention in the discussion, how these historical meetings influences our business meeting culture today.

2. Roman Senate

The Roman senate was a republic institution in ancient Rome. In the first place, the Senate was formed in the early days of the kingdom of the youth Roman Empire to advise the monarch. (cf. http://spqrlive.com/#/the-senate/4536881394) However, the senate not only increased his membership numbers during the century also the duties grew. One part of the members came from the patrician families and the other part from plebeian background. This elite group was called the nobility. In addition, the senators were unpaid for their duties for the Empire, this isn´t really shocking, that they “were mostly devoted to carving out a power base for themselves, their patrons or their close relations.” (http://spqrlive.com/#/the-senate/4536881394) For this paper I want to illustrate how a typical meeting in a Roman Senate was set up.

1. Organization of a Roman senate meeting

First of all the meeting were set up in the Curia Hostilia, “where they sat in a tiered semi-circle” (http://spqrlive.com/#/the-senate/4536881394). Because of a fire the meeting place of the senate was destroyed, Julius Caesar established a new one, where they were based on opposite sides to face each other. This new senate house was called Curia Julia, however, it happened more often because of the membership increase that they met in different temple to deliver their rhetorical speeches.

The arranging of the senate meetings is an interesting point to mention. One of the officials, who on the one hand could have imperial power or on the other hand was one of the tribunes of the people, could convoked the senate meetings in one of the locations that I mentioned before. Furthermore everybody of the senators had to show appearance because it was on a n obligatory basis. When one of the members of the senate house didn’t show up and gave an excuse for the missing, it was often punished with fines.
In addition, the proceedings were moderated by the official who convened the senate members. On the agenda of the chairman was to make a report on the actually problems and he asked the senators for their opinion.
Then the senators –not each one - hierarchical addressed an audience on the problem which could include the domains of “preparation of legislation, administration of finances, foreign affairs and the supervision of the state religion.” (http://spqrlive.com/#/the-senate/4536881394)

In the end of the debate the chairman put the outcome in a request and invited the senators to give their votes. The decision was written in a form and was given to the quaestores who safeguarded it. (cf., http://library.thinkquest.org/C006401/data/geschichte/senat.html)
In addition to that eloquent and decisive meetings in ancient Rome I want to deal with an example of historical meeting where the participants needed one year for a decision.

3. Congress of Vienna

In the first place, there is the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in the battle of Leipsic in 1813. Napoleon had to resign and was banished with his family on the island of Elba. The allied European states resolved the idea of a peace conference which should rearrange the continent Europe.

1. Organization of the Congress of Vienna

The meeting was set up on the 18th of September 1814 and finished on the 9th of June 1815 in Vienna. The political participants arrived from 200 different countries and masteries.
The goal of this proceeding was “to redraw the continent´s political map, establish the boundaries of the European states” and “to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Vienna)

The conference was chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich and the “Palais am Ballhausplatz” had got the political European spotlight of these days. There were kings, princes and ambassadors who defend the opinion and interests of their countries. After tough negotiations at daytime the host Empire Franz I. sweetened the nights of the residence with a great many festivities, which gives this Congress also the nick name “The dancing congress”. The whole celebrating gives the impression that the delegations lost sight on their duties. Moreover, there were a lot of negotiations; however, they found no results. (cf., Alois Scheucher, Zeitbilder 5&6 2006, p. 163)

This festivity got to a harsh end when Napoleon mobilized his troops and occupied France again in spring 1815. The allies acted quickly and sent their troops to stop Napoleon in the battle of Waterloo.

In addition to that intermezzo the delegations were brought into contact again in Vienna to finish the proceedings. The result of this Conference to found confederations which vouch and fight for the protection of religion, peace and justice was accomplished. (cf., Alois Scheucher, Zeitbilder 5&6 2006, p. 164)

4. Discussion

Turning to the question what we can learn from these historical meetings.
First I want to mention that in my opinion these proceedings continue to have an effect on our daily life. Our democratically system as we know it has a prototype in ancient Roman Empire. In the 18th century the time of revolutions people leaned on the beliefs of the Roman republic system, folks fought for more rights and a vote. We are privileged in this day and age to co-create a nation. I think the historical meetings of the Roman senate and our day’s parliament sittings didn´t change a lot. However, it could be that the senators of Rome were more rhetorical skilled than a politician today.
Secondly, on the example of Congress of Vienna we could see that the actors were too much distracted to find solutions, moreover, the enemy had time to assemble one´s force. There are political summits like G8 which gives the impression that the ambassadors of the countries are more focused on receptions and economic agreements than on fixing serious global problems.
However, when give a look on business meetings you get the feeling that the actors learned from history. Business sessions have agendas and time schedules which gives the meeting a structure to follow.

5. Conclusion

To sum up, there isn´t much difference between historical meetings and meetings nowadays. In history proceedings they put a person in charge who chaired and moderate the meetings. It could be a learning progress that in our days a person from outside is invited to moderate a meeting when there are difficulties to find a solution.
In the end the outcomes of a meeting are important and that the participants are satisfied with their decisions.

Bibliography

Alois Scheucher, Zeitbilder 5&6. Geschichte und Sozialkunde. Politische Bildung. Von den Anfängen der Geschichte der Menschen bis zum Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges, Wien 2006

ORACLE ThinkQuest, URL: http://library.thinkquest.org/C006401/data/geschichte/senat.html (1.2.2013)

S.P.O.R live, URL: http://spqrlive.com/#/the-senate/4536881394 (1.2.2013)

Wikipedia, URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Vienna (1.2.2013)

Table of figures

Table 1 Bildarchiv Prometheus, New York Museum of Modern Art

Bibliography: Alois Scheucher, Zeitbilder 5&6. Geschichte und Sozialkunde. Politische Bildung. Von den Anfängen der Geschichte der Menschen bis zum Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges, Wien 2006 ORACLE ThinkQuest, URL: http://library.thinkquest.org/C006401/data/geschichte/senat.html (1.2.2013) S.P.O.R live, URL: http://spqrlive.com/#/the-senate/4536881394 (1.2.2013) Wikipedia, URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Vienna (1.2.2013) Table of figures Table 1 Bildarchiv Prometheus, New York Museum of Modern Art