The political structures in first and second wave civilizations share some traits while differing in others. For instances, leaders in early river societies claimed that they were divinely ordained. Sumerian kings of individual city-states each claimed to be connected to a godly entity and as a result were deemed fit to rule. Additionally, Egypt, the Nile river valley society, was led by a series of Pharaohs who claimed to be Gods in human form. Likewise, leaders of second-wave empires also avowed that supernatural forces aid their regimes. Rome past emperors were regarded as gods. Similarly, in China, emperors were thought to rule with the divine force of the Mandate of Heaven. On the other hand, many leaders of second-wave civilizations also depended on personal merits and high positions in their social hierarchy to establish leadership. Moreover, Han’s dynasty established an imperial academy and developed a civil service system to identify potential government officials. Also worth mentioning, is Athens’s concept of a “citizen”, which was a ground-breaking political idea, although not yet perfected, that views each individual as a part of a larger state system.…
According to Gregory S. Kavka, “government is necessary to constrain people’s conduct toward one another, because people are not sufficiently virtuous to exercise the requisite degree of control on their own” (G. Kavka). In other words, government is created to control the faults of human nature for example, greediness and unfairness. “Framing a government which is to be administered by men over men” (R. Higgs). However, government is made of men with human faults and will act selfishly for their own gain if necessary. This is why constraints are put on government systems preventing absolute power to reign over citizens. If men were born without faults, if men were born perfect,…
The government of early civilizations was commonly run by either a military leader,king, priest, and or dynasty. With a military leader, being the highest ranked of a military power, would usually rise to power. With a priest, a person would usually call the “mandate of heaven” and claim that God had sent, or grant…
Throughout history autocratic rulers have come to power. Autocratic rulers control the power of the nobility, control religious authorities as well as, use armies to expand their borders and make laws. These leaders have tried to control their countries. The actions taken to control their countries helped and hurt the countries. Two such leaders, Czar Peter the Great of Russia and King Louis the XIV of France were both examples of Autocrat whose actions helped and hurt their countries. Peter the Great’s autocratic actions like taking control by expanding and westernizing his country and building a new capital, both helped and hurt his country. Louis XIV was another example of an autocratic ruler who actions like building a magnificent palace in order to control the nobility and thinking that France revolved around him, both helped and hurt his country.…
It is known that a state without government is a state in chaos and confusion. What the best possible form of government should be has been debated by political philosophers over time. To vigorously ensure the well-being of a state, the government of that state should be absolute or one in which all power is vested in a single ruler. A monarch's authority to govern should be absolute because God establishes kings, decisions would be made quicker, and there would be less conflict between differing parties.…
In classical Greece (9th–6th centuries BCE) the form of government is a democracy which is ‘administration is in the hands of, not of a few, but of the whole people’ (Pericles). Where as in Han china (206 BCE – 220 CE) the form of government is a bureaucracy which is a body of non-elective government officials. ‘The emperor appointed governors to each district for his domain’.…
In years past, the majority of governmental ideas were based on a ruler with absolute power, such as the king or queen of a country. The common belief of the ruling class during the pre enlightenment period was that humans were born dirty, unhealthy, and were generally unable to govern themselves. With a “caring” and “fair” ruler they could be saved from the burden of their own judgement. In contrast, Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Baron De Montesquieu, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought that people were born pure and only were bad from the “corruption of society”, thus they should have a say in…
A clear consequence of the birth of these nation states was the beginning of modern monarchies. Late Roman leadership had fluctuated between elected, appointed and hereditary emperors; in the new Barbarian kingdoms, the hereditary principle became the standard. Educated statesmen were replaced by hardened warriors who earned their positions of power by warfare.…
Analysis of what a theocracy truly is and how government and religion tie together to create and run a working country where some law or cultural norms are influenced by the predominant religion in the country: in this case, Islam. Brief history…
During the 16th and 17th century Europe, political views on the government varied in Europe. After the Catholic Church’s downfall, absolute monarchs dominated Europe. An analysis of the documents clearly shows that mostly kings favored absolutism and have superiority over their people. On the other hand, some viewed absolutism as a power that made people inferior to the government.…
Classical Athens and Han China had their own kind of government with different regulations that were very much alike. The Athenians had a democratic government that they believed to be original and better than any other. They believed in equality and fairness, and they respected the laws that were set upon them. “Our form of government is called democracy because its administration is in the hands, not of a few, but of the whole peoples” (Doc. D). The government of Classical Athens was of the people and for the people. “...any member of the Assembly could speak about anithing, providing he could command an audience. But for practical reasons, there was also an official agenda. This was prepared by a Council composed of 500 men, 50 from each of the ten Attic tribes” (Doc E). In Acient Athens they wanted the people to be satisfied with their rulers, which they got to vote for, but also expected them to follow the laws that were made and were also madet7 part of making decisions in their community. Likewise in the Han China’s government the emperor was chosen by the Mandate of Heaven where “Heaven” was the people and they had to be satisfied with the emperor as well. “Heaven sees with the eyes of its people. Heaven hears with the ears of its people” (Doc. F). In China the people believe that “Heaven” chooses the next emperor by recommendation of the previous emperor and reveals through acts and deeds. If the people accept…
Athens created a democracy that worked because Athens was small enough that they could have everyone come to the meetings and participate in the government. Also in Document 4 Pericles states that Athens is a true democracy because no one can be kept out of government because of their poverty or social standing. Also that in private dispute no one person will be favored over the other in front of the law. Han China had a rule of emperors instead of democracy because their civilization was so big they couldn’t have a council of all the people meet every couple of weeks to debate on the course of action Han China will take. Instead in China the emperor appointed officials to a district who in turn appointed some of their men to rule over smaller parts of the district to keep order in that district for the emperor. For another person to become the emperor he has to have the Mandate of heaven, for the man to have the Mandate of heaven the emperor has to present him to heaven and heaven decides if he is worthy through the peoples’ support or lack of…
During 17th and 18th centuries, there has been two types of government; absolutism, which gave unlimited power to the monarchs, and democracy, which gave power to the people. However, in my opinion, absolutism was still the most effective form of government during this period. There were numerous absolute monarchs such as King James I, Machiavelli and King Louis XIV renowned for their cruel use of power as a monarch. People in this time were not as educated as people in the modern society today and it was easy for them to just follow the words of the absolute monarch. On the other hand, in the 19th and 20th century, I assume than ideas of democracy surely surpassed the ideas of absolutism, due to the ideas of the enlightenment thinkers, as known as philosophes.…
Hello my fellow ambassadors I will inform you on the pros and cons of democracy and monarchy.I will also explain what government is better for my country.…
Looking back at the beginnings of human civilization, authoritarianism did not exist until someone rose up within the anarchist tribes that humans originally lived in and attempted to rule them without their consent or approval. From there, authoritarianism branched mainly into monarchies that existed throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa for thousands of years. Within these monarchies, kings and queens were born into positions of absolute power over a region and its people: these were the first…