The Development of Western Democratic Thought – Preparing for the Assessment
Directions: In order to prepare for your assessment appropriately, you should be able to do the following. Using a proficiency
scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest, I have organized your study guide into three sections. You will earn a 2 if you are able
to correctly define the first section, the terms and people. You will earn a 3 if you are able to answer the questions in the
second section correctly. And, you will earn a 4 if you are able to answer the questions in the third section correctly.
Everyone will answer multiple choice and matching questions relating to section one. Then, students will choose whether to
answer section two or section three essay questions. No one will do all three sections on assessment day.
First Section
Terms:
government
democracy
aristocracy
citizen
direct democracy
monarchy
natural laws
republic
senate
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Ten Commandments
prophet
feudalism
common law
Magna Carta
due process of law
Parliament
divine right
Glorious Revolution
constitutional monarchy
bill of rights
Enlightenment
social contract
natural rights
separation of powers
representative government
federal system
People:
Solon
Cleisthenes
Pericles
Justinian
Abraham
Jesus
Paul
Muhammad
King Henry II
King John
King Charles I
King William and Queen Mary
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
Voltaire
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Baron de Montesquieu
Second Section
Using the appropriate vocabulary and significant people, answer the following questions.
1. Explain three contributions the Greeks and three contributions the Romans made to democracy
using the following terms – government, democracy, aristocracy, citizen, direct democracy, republic,
senate, Solon, Cleisthenes, Pericles and Justinian.
2. Explain two contributions the traditions and teachings of Judaism, Christianity and Islam each made
to democracy.
3. Using the Magna Carta (1215), Model Parliament (1295), execution of King Charles I (1649), the
Habeas Corpus Act (1679), the establishment of a constitutional monarchy (1689) and the English
Bill of Rights (1689), explain the ‘evolution’ of democracy as experienced by the English.
4. Explain the contributions to democratic philosophy each of these Enlightenment thinkers made Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Baron de Montesquieu.
Third Section
Using the all of the appropriate vocabulary and significant people, answer the following questions.
1. Why does Western civilization share a common tradition of law? – Comparing and Contrasting the Greeks and
Romans to the US system of governing – Which characteristic of the government under the Roman
Republic had the greatest impact on the democratic tradition as we experience it today in the US?
Which characteristic under Greek rule?
Think about: the control of power by citizens, the separation of government branches and
the regard for written law
2. How does religious tradition impact secular/civil law? – While Thomas Jefferson famously wrote of a “wall
of separation between church and state,” religious tradition obviously influenced the writing of
government laws. How does a democratic government, like the US, balance that tradition?
Think about: First Amendment, specific US laws based on the Ten Commandments
3. How does democratic law differ from tyrannical? – The Enlightenment thinkers wrote about the different
ways they thought society should be governed. They were influenced by the time and place in which
they lived and the natural laws of the Scientific Revolution they studied. Briefly explain how each of
the five ‘thinkers’ were influenced by their experience and what philosophical conclusions they came
to because of it.
For example: Thomas Hobbes lived during the upheaval of Cromwell and the
Commonwealth. Voltaire lived in France during the time of divine and absolute monarchies.