Today’s Lecture:
Republics, Majorities, Athens and Governments
Number:
4
Lecture Organization:
• class announcements • What I am Teaching You • Review: Governance in Rome • Governance in Athens • Discussion: Majorities • Forms of Government
Time
Class Announcements
Class Participation -- don’t forget to hand it in at the end of the class Attendance Sheet -- if your name isn’t on the sheet, write (and sign) it at the END.
Website -- so far, the material is from last year
Time
[mention: class announcements]
Questions?
Part I: Developmentalism
What I Am Teaching You
Two Basic Answers to What a Political Scientist “Knows:”
“civics”
Facts and Trivia about government, institutions, process for election, different kinds of systems, etc
Question: Question: If you were asked what a Question: psychologist wasasupposed to What should political What do political know, would it be easier for you to scientist know about answer? Howscientistsgeologist or about a know? American government? an economist?
What I Am Teaching You
Two Basic Answers to What a Political Scientist “Knows:” “journalism for politics” Statistical or survey information about things in the political system we can’t readily “see.” e.g., “two party systems have lower turnout than multi-party systems” e.g., “voter turnout is greater in many European countries”
-- news about government and politics
What I Am Teaching You
These options are unacceptable
“journalism for politics”
civics
-- Not going to teach a bunch of encyclopedic information -- Not going to give you “political news” for its own sake (as though it were its own science, which it is not).
What I Am Teaching You
Part I:
Historical and Philosophic focus
-- “Developmentalism” is the use of history to develop a subject matter (other than history)
-- To understand American government, you must understand its creation and development
Getting Perspective
Roman Government Athenian Government
England
Getting Perspective
Roman Government Athenian Government
England
Time
American Government
Part II: Republican Institutions, With Government By Social Sectors
Three-Sector, Two-Branch Government?
SENATE
CONSUL
Assembly of the Plebeians
1/18/2007
(C) Copyright Sean Wilson. 2007.
12
Roman Society
Patricians
Plebeians
Slaves
Time
1/18/2007 (C) Copyright Sean Wilson. 2007. 13
Part III: Government By Mobs
Government in Athens
Intro -- Date: 508 to 276 B.C. -- Athens was a city not a country. Greeks never attempted to unite all Greek speakers into one political union.
Language:
“polis” city-state politics politician metropolis
9/16/2009
Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007.
15
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy” -- What is different about Athens is that it attempted “democracy” without intermediaries. -- No politicians. No campaigns. No elections.
Question: Answer: Question: How can you have democracy How do they do it directly? The people do it without campaigns, elections Describe how it works? directly. or politicians
9/16/2009 Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007. 16
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy”
The Assembly
-- If you lived in the country you had to get up at the crack of dawn in order to get to the meeting place, called the Assembly, which was a rocky hillside within the city gates.
-- 10,000 men could be accommodated comfortably; 15,000 uncomfortably – wooden benches; most just stood – met 40 times a year, each meeting lasted a couple of hours
9/16/2009 Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007. 17
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy”
The Assembly
– 6,000 citizens constituted a quorum (imagine 20-50 % of your fellow citizens, squeezing into an open-air stadium, voting on proposals, electing magistrates, empanelling jurors).
9/16/2009
Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007.
18
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy”
Participation
-- any male citizens over 18 years of age and willing to attend the sessions (held about every 10 days).
-- eligible to attend: about 45,000 male citizens
9/16/2009
Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007.
19
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy”
Drawing Lots for Service
-- almost all the administrative officials were chosen by lot for one year
-- Usually they were selected in groups of 10 to carry out one specific function, such as policing the markets or caring for the streets.
9/16/2009
Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007.
20
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy”
Ostracism
-- once a year they decided whether to have an ostracism. -- if yes, each wrote down the name of the person to leave. -- whoever received the most votes “won” (actually, lost). -- They would be banished for 10 years. Answer: Question: Why would they do this?
Eliminated would-be tyrants and nuisances
21
9/16/2009
Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007.
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy”
Courts
–- 201-501 citizens served as jurors and judges.
–- The courts of law were really committees of the people.
-- Each year a panel of 6000 jurors over 30 years of age was drawn up from those who volunteered to serve.
-- For each trial a jury of 201 or more was drawn by a very complicated system of lots so that bribery and influence could be limited.
9/16/2009 Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007. 22
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy”
Courts
-- Each of the two parties in a lawsuit had to speak and act for himself, though he could hire a professional speech writer to compose his speech.
-- Undoubtedly one had to be very careful as to how one appealed to the elders of the community who sat on the jury and determined by majority vote their verdict. (Socrates).
9/16/2009
Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007.
23
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy”
Courts
-- There could be no appeal from this committee of the people in its judicial capacity.
-- In verdicts of capital punishment one was sometimes allowed to commit suicide by drinking poison, except those who were found guilty of murder (and the like). These unfortunate culprits were attached to a vertical plank on which they hung until they died.
9/16/2009
Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007.
24
Government in Athens
“Direct Democracy”
The Big Picture
-- mob rule? Mob “justice.”
Time
9/16/2009
Question: Question: Question: Is Athens good or bad? What might be the flaw Might it be is better: a That is, what good to have in the Athenian model? some aristocratic (elitist) republic or direct structures democracy? in government? (courts, non-elective offices, etc.)
Copyright, Sean Wilson. 2007. 25
Part IV: Considering Majorities
“Democracy”
Question:
Should the majority rule? Question: Why?
“Democracy” Question: Question: Why don’t we let the people decide whobetter Which of these is gets inducted into the hall of (which would you rather fame? Would it why? win), and be better if we did it that way Academy Awards Hall of Fame People’s Choice
All Star Game cheapening effect
Pro Bowl
“Democracy”
Question: Is it of higher quality Question: music than, say, Jazz, Is top alternative, or Classical, 40 music good? even all the other nontop-40 music?
Academy Awards Hall of Fame
People’s Choice
All Star Game
Pro Bowl