Cheat Sheet Key Points of Philosophers, Political Thinkers, and Leaders Key Documents in the Evolution of Democracy

Direct democracy was established in Athens, Greece, between 508 B.C.-404 B.C. Citizens voted directly for laws. Plato (b. 428 B.C.) 1. Society functions best if each person understands his/her strengths and weaknesses and performs his/her proper role. Talent, not wealth, determines a citizens proper role, i.e., strong and courageous men become soldiers, those skilled with their hands become laborers, etc. 2. Education essential for good governmentteach people to be good citizens. 3. Democracy is mob rule, yet also said power should not be located in a power autocrat. Believed in philosopher-kingsthe smartest lovers of knowledge should rule. 4. Children property of government and loyal to government so that power would never be hereditaryeach person educated and role determined by skills and merits. 5. Live communallyno pay and no property. Three classes: 1) Philosopher Kings, 2) Guardians to defend society, 3) Ordinary citizens whose duty was obedience. Aristotle (b. 384 B.C.) 1. Humans are not born good, but learn to be virtuous. 2. Best government provides for a properly educated middle class they are free of excesses found in upper and middle class. 3. Democracy is the least dangerous form of government, but can lead people to believe they are equal in every waywhich they are not! 4. Majority is supreme and whatever they approve must be just. 5. Monarchy and aristocracy are acceptable so long as ruler is virtuous and takes advice from philosophers. The Magna Carta (1215) signed by the King of England. Resulted in a limited monarchy; king had to consult nobles to tax citizens or go to war. Also established the principal that the king or queen must obey the law. Queen Elizabeth (b. 1533) 1. Daughter of King Henry VIII of England and Anne Boleyn (Henrys second wife). Her father had her mother beheaded because he suspected her of adultery. He went on to have six wives! Interestingly, Elizabeth never married. 2. Her father had broken with the Catholic Church b/c he wanted to be able to divorce his first wife. Queen Elizabeth influenced Parliament to pass the Act of Supremacy, returning England to Protestant religion (the religion of her father her half-sister Mary had reverted to Catholicism during her reign). 3. Believed that God chose her to rule, although she did not believe she should have absolute power over her subjects. Considered herself Mother of her country. Ruled from 1558-1603. 4. Society should be structured in a hierarchy (ordered social rankings) with people in their proper places.

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Thomas Hobbes (b. 1588) 1. Wrote Leviathan (sea monster). Argued in it that man is born wicked with constant drive for power. If left alone, people could not be trusted to make their own decisions because they are inherently selfish. 2. Natural condition of humankind is a situation of war. Nations, like people, are in a battle for power and wealth. 3. Best government is one with great power, like the leviathan. Absolute monarch is needed for direction. Democracy will not work. Without strong government, people live in a state of fear. 4. People voluntarily give up rights to absolute ruler (leviathan) for sake of peace. Not same as divine rightspeople decide, so rulers are chosen based upon their merits. 5. Ruler could abuse power. Potential for abuse lessened by appointing group of representatives to present common peoples problems. Final decision still is with the ruler. John Locke (b. 1632) 1. Believed that men were born free with certain natural rightslife, liberty, and property. Thought people had the gift or reason (ability to think), which ensured that in a state of nature they would look after the well being of society and treat all people equally. 2. People form govt to protect themselves from others who would deprive them of their natural rights. They enter into a contract with government to protect natural rights. If govt does not hold up its end of the bargain, people have the right to change governments. 3. Strived for limitation on powers of monarchyrejected theory of divine rights. 4. Believed women had ability to reason, thus deserve equality. Louis XIV (b. 1638) 1. Absolute monarch with divine right to rule. Controlled all institutions and every aspect of life in France (absolutism). Called the Sun King because his power radiated everywhere. Famously said, I am the state. 2. Supported by the Catholic Church. Kings chosen by God and had divine right to rule. King only responsible to Godnot people. 3. People could not revolt if the king was bad since God chose the king and only God would punish him. 4. Employed middle class merchants and church leaders to run real affairs of governmentthey could be controlled. 5. Religious unity contributed to strength of his ruleonly Catholicism permittedProtestants persecuted. The Glorious Revolution (1688) forced change in England. The English Bill of Rights (1688) was drawn up before Queen Mary and her husband, William of Orange, could ascend to the throne. It ensured the superiority of Parliament over the king and queen and specified the powers of Parliament. Baron de Montesquieu (b. 1689) 1. Believed limited monarchy makes country stable and secure. 2. Believed separation of powers would prevent despotism and thus advocated a system with various separate but equal branches including legislative, judicial, and executive (system of checks and balances). Ideas became basis of US Constitution. 3. Small states better because they allow more participation by the people. -2-

4. Accepted slavery; women inferior to men (but could be useful in govt b/c of their gentler nature). 5. Hated Catholicism. Saw direct ties between religion and violence, and thought people should just have morality and be tolerant of all religions. 6. Peoples role in government should be based on political virtue (meaning they put publics interests above their individual interests) and equality. 7. Public interests are greater than individual interests. Voltaire (b. 1694) 1. Enlightenment thinker. Believed the application of reason to life leads to the absence of intolerance, bigotry, and prejudice. 2. World is governed by natural laws which are discernible by human reason. Natural laws are good and reasonable and man will be happy if he lives by them. 3. Believed in progresshumanity can be perfected by the use of reason. Wanted to reform existing institutions and attitudes of minds. Through reason, society can be free. 4. Best government is when all men are equally protected by the laws. Democracy could work if country were very small. Otherwise republic or monarchy (provided monarch was an enlightened monarch who studied government and protected human rights). 5. He was a champion of individual freedom, speech, and opinion. Said, I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (b. 1712) 1. Believed people are born free, independent, and compassionate. People would live happily and peacefully in a state of nature. Corruption of modern countries harms the individual by giving too few people too much power over many others. Societys institutions corrupt naturally good individuals. 2. Believed in a direct democracyany law where the people have not ratified in person is void (against representative democracy). 3. People can be both ruled and free if they rule themselves. They can establish a social contract where they have direct say in the way their society is governed. 4. When men join together in a community, individual rights are transferred to group. In a monarchy, men retain certain natural rights that king or sovereign must respect, but king can impose the general will on individuals. 5. Each person places his person and authority under the supreme direction of the general will; and the group receives each individual as an indivisible part of the whole. 6. Everyone must obey the general willif not, must be forced to do soit may be necessary to force a man to be free, freedom in this case being obedience to the will of all. 7. Rule belonged to the people and they could rise up against their government if it is not representing the people. (French Revolution used his beliefs.) Mary Wollstonecraft (b. 1759) 1. English woman who called for the rights of women during the French Revolution and their involvement in civic and political life. 2. Did not believe in the institution of marriage. 3. Believed that all people are equal and that every person possesses the natural right to determine his or her own destiny. 4. Human nature can be perfected if education is improved and oppression ended.

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The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America (1776) declared the independence of the 13 colonies from England. It explicitly stated that men have certain unalienable rights and that governments must derive their powers from the consent of the governed. The American Constitution (1776) established a representative democracy in which citizens vote for representatives to make laws. The Bill of Rights (amendments to the Constitution) was passed several years later to prevent abuses of the Constitution and ensure that individual rights were protected. These documents have served as models for numerous other governments. Karl Marx (b. 1818) 1. According to Marx, the history of the world was the history of class conflict (the haves verses the have nots). 2. Developed a philosophy of economics called communism that had profound political implications. 3. Communism was a reaction against the industrial revolution deprivation of the rights and dignities of the working class. 4. Believed industrialism forced people into two rival categories: the middle class and the working class. These classes would always fight for political power, but the middle class would always rule because it owned the factories, property, and money and needed to oppress the workers to stay in power. 5. He advised workers to form unions that would overthrow the middle class. 6. He believed there were four steps to achieving communism: feudalism (serfs serving lords, working the land for nothing), capitalism (money exchanged for goods and services), socialism (in which everything is owned by the government, which oversees a classless society), and finally communism (a utopian workers society with no government or classes). 7. Thus, the ideal society was one devoid of a structured government (though this is not to be confused with anarchy). Marxs society would be a peaceful utopia.

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