Chapter 1: Sources of Democratic Tradition
2000 B.C.E.-C.E. 1689
Section 1: The Greek Roots of Democracy
I.
The Rise of Greek City-States
A. Between 750-500 B.C.E., Greeks
changed different forms of gov’t
B. Monarchy—king or queen ruled
C. noble landowners—served as
military defenders; could afford bronze
weapons and chariots
D. middle class—merchants, farmers, and
artisans began to take power
E. middle class challenged noble landowners for
power
F. citizens began to protect city-states since iron
weapons were cheaper
G. this created 2 main city-states: Sparta and
Athens
H. Sparta: very disciplined military society; had
a king and council of elders; only males over 30
could participate
I. Athens: importance to individual and citizens
rights; idea of democracy originated; set up
legislature; women and slaves could not
participate in politics
II. The Persian Wars
A.
by 500 B.C.E., Athens the wealthiest Greek
city-state
B.
threats from Persians lasted 20 years, but
were able to withstand and defeat Persian
forces due to support from Sparta
III.
Athens in the Age of Pericles
A.
Athens became the most powerful city
after the Persian Wars
B.
from 460-429 B.C.E., Athens’ economy
thrived and government became more
democratic under Pericles—known as Age
of Pericles
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
“direct democracy”—most of the
citizens participated in making
decisions
Citizens had to serve on the jury to
make final judgment in a trial; were
paid to serve
believed in civic duty (responsibility)
Began to move away from god’s law to
natural law
Peloponnesian War—lasted 27 years;
Sparta defeated Athens; ended
democracy
IV.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Greek Philosophers
thinkers and “lovers of wisdom”
used observation and reason to
figure out why things happened
their search for knowledge influenced
modern science and Western political
thought
focused on ethics and moralityidea
of goodness and human behavior
Sophists (Athens) focused on success
F.
Socratesstonemason and philosopher,
used the art of questioning to find truth
and self-knowledge
Platostudent of Socrates; believed that
reason led to knowledge

wrote Republicdivided society into
three classes

workerproduce the necessities of life

soldiersdefend the state

philosophersrule the state
H.



Aristotlestudent of Plato; analyzed
all forms of gov’t (monarchy to
democracy) & found problems with
them all
favored constitutional
democracy”rule of the many” called
polity (middle class)
wrote Politicsrulers should also
follow laws
His teachings were used by
constitutional gov’ts today
V. Alexander and the Hellenistic Age
A.
Alexander was tutored by Aristotle
B.
conquered 2,000 miles of territory
and became Alexander the Great
C.
spread Greek ideas
D.
Stoicismmost influential philosophy
after Alexander’s death; founded by
Zeno

preached high moral standardsall
people equal (even women & slaves)
E. Greek ideas about law, freedom,
justice, and gov’t have influenced
political thinking even now
Section 2: The Roman Republic and Empire
I.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Establishing a Republic
Rome was a city-state in the center of
Italy, ruled by Etruscan kings and nobles c.
800 B.C.E.
In 509 B.C.E., the Romans threw out the
Etruscans and set up a republic where they
chose their own officials
Set up a senate of 300 members, all
patricians (landholding upper class)—made
laws
Senators elected 2 consuls, who served
one term only, commanded army and
business of gov’t
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
During war, senate chose a dictator (ruler)
to control gov’t for 6 months
Cincinnatus—model dictator, organized
army over attacking enemy and returned
back to farm
plebeians (common people) made up most
of Rome, but had no influence on gov’t
in 450 B.C.E., the gov’t wrote down laws in
12 tablets (Laws of the Twelve Tables), due
to plebeian protests
were allowed tribunes (elect officials) to
protect own interests; could veto (block)
unfair lawsconsuls and senate
J.
II.
A.
B.



plebeians gained access to power w/o
going to warthis was adapted by the U.S.
(senate, veto, checks on power)
From Republic to Empire
by 270 B.C.E., Rome controlled almost all
of Italy (Etruscans, Greeks)
Punic Wars—Rome and Carthage (North
Africa) fought three wars with each other
Rome won the first battle
Carthage won the second battle by
invading Italy; led by Hannibal
Romans completely destroyed Carthage
and controlled the Mediterranean Sea
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
by 133 B.C.E., Rome extended from
Spain to Egypt
conquests of new lands brought riches
and led to problems w/in Roman
society
generals , traders, and officials became
wealthy, but hurt small farmers and
citizens who fought for free in the army
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus tried to
create reforms to help the poor
senators did not like this and had
Gracchus brothers killed
H.
I.
J.
K.
civil war broke out in Rome and Julius
Caesar emerged and took charge
Caesar had just finished the conquest
of Gaul (France) and returned to Rome
and took over the capital and forced
the senate to make him dictator
he became the absolute ruler of Rome,
but put in place many changes to help
the poor
Caesar was killed by his enemies in
the senate, because they feared he
was going to make himself king
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Octavian, Caesar’s grand nephew, came to
power; he was given the title Augustus
(Exalted One)
Augustus Caesar ended Rome as a republic
and began the age of the Roman empire
Created a well-trained civil service to
enforce laws; opened high level jobs to all;
and allowed independent gov’t as long as
their allegiance was to Rome
Pax Romana—a period of 200 years that
Augustus’ gov’t set up, a.k.a. “Roman
Peace”
Rome’s territory was stretched from the
Mesopotamia to Britain (size of U.S.)
Q.



R.
S.
III.
A.
During the Pax Romana:
military protected the empire
trade flowed freely from Africa & Asia
People spread ideas and knowledge
emperor Hadrian codified Roman law
emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations
and became a philosopher-king (Plato’s
ideal)
Roman Law
the legacy of Rome was the establishment
of justice through law, which created
stability and unityborrowed by Europe
and Latin America
B.
1.
2.
C.
D.
E.
Two Systems:
civil law—rules that applied to citizens
law of nations—rules that applied to
people outside of Rome
an accused was presumed innocent
until proven guilty; and judges
interpreted laws and had to be fair
by 400s C.E., the Roman empire
collapsed and the Byzantine empire
took over
emperor Justinian created the
Justinian’s Code—the Body of Civil Law
based on Roman law
F.
G.
IV.
A.
B.
C.
By 1100s, Justinian’s Code reached
Western Europe and were used by
many monarchs
Justinian’s Code is also used in
international law today
Greco-Roman Civilization
Greco-Roman civilization—a blend of
Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman
traditions
philosophy of Stoicism stressed duty
Greco-Roman ideas preserved by the
Byzantine empire and Muslim
scholars
Section 3: Principles of Judaism
I.
Early History of the Jews
A. Jews known as Hebrews or Israelites
(people of Israel)
B. most of their history comes from the
Torah (sacred text)
C. Abraham (father of the Jews) migrated
from Mesopotamia to eastern
Mediterranean and founded Israel
D. Famine forced them to migrate to Egypt
where they became slaves
E.
Moses led them to their exodus or escape
F.
G.
H.
II.
A.
B.
David, a strong and clever king, unified
all tribes and created a one nation
Solomon, David’s son, created
Jerusalem and was smart and
understanding
After Solomon died, Israel broke apart
and were conquered by the Assyrians,
Babylonians, and the Persians
God’s Covenant With the Israelites
monotheistic—believed in one God
religious beliefs were part of their
social, economic, and political life
They saw themselves as god’s “chosen
people” because they were spreading
God’s teachings
D. Torah also includes laws Jews must
obey
III. Teachings on Law and Morality
A. Ten Commandments—brought by
Moses, are a set of basic moral laws
B. Seven Universal Laws—applied to all
people; was an idea of universally
accepted moral and ethical principles
led to human rights today
C.
C.
D.
IV.
A.
B.
prophets called on the rich to protect
the poor
Judaism (religion of the Jews) led to the
rule of law and political equality
The Scattering of the Jews
Jews who took up Greeks way clashed
with those that wanted to keep
traditional Jewish beliefs
A new group emerged from this conflict
that followed the teachings of Jesus (a
Jew) and created a new religion called
Christianity
Section 4: The Rise of Christianity
I.
Jesus of Nazareth
A. Jesus was a descendant of King David and
was believed to be the messiah (a savior
sent by God to lead the Jews to freedom)
B. Jesus followed Jewish laws
C. went around preaching the word of God
by using short stories with a moral lesson
to communicate his ideas
D. Jesus’ preaching upset some Jewish
leaders, because he interpreted the laws
differently
E.
F.
II.
A.
B.
He taught the need for justice, morality
and service to others (poor)
Jewish priests considered Jesus a
troublemaker and had him arrested
and handed over to the Romans to be
executed by crucifixion
Christianity Spreads
After Jesus’ death, his disciples spread
his teachings throughout the Roman
empire
Paul helped to separate Christianity
from Judaism
C.
D.
E.
F.
Romans were usually tolerant towards
other religions, except Judaism and
Christianity, because they refused to
make sacrifices to the emperor
Romans began persecuting them,
especially when there was trouble in the
empire
missionaries spread Christianity through
the Roman Roads and across the
Mediterranean sea
Edict of Milan—issued by Constantine,
granting freedom of worship
III. The Christian Church

during the middle ages, the Christian
church emerged as the most powerful
force in Europe
IV. The Early Communities
A.
all members were equal and called each
other “brother” or “sister”
B.
women led the way and served as
teachers or administrators
C.
clergy—performed religious ceremonies
D.
had priests were controlled by bishops
who were controlled by the pope (a.k.a.
patriarch of Rome)
E.
F.
G.
Church splits after fall of Rome—
eastern (Orthodox Churchanti-pope)
and western (Roman Catholic
Churchpope)
Roman Catholic Church grew stronger
and began to run gov’t
ideas of Aristotle and other Greek
thinkers were translated into Latin and
spread into Western Europe and
challenged Christian beliefs (faith vs.
reason)
Thomas Aquinas—Christian scholar,
brought together Christian faith and
Greek philosophystated both faith
and reason existed in harmony (God
ruled over an orderly universe)
V. The Judeo-Christian Tradition
A.
shared heritage of Jews and
Christians
B.
Judeo-Christian principles played a
central role in the development of the
democratic tradition
H.
Section 5: Democratic Developments in England
in medieval England, the Christian
church, the nobility, and monarchy
had all the power and wealth
I. Growth of Royal Power
A. feudalism—a loosely organized system
of rule where powerful landowners
(nobles) divide their land with smaller
land owners (vassals) for protection
due to invasions by Vikings
B. The church and nobles protected their
rights and privileges from the king

William the Conqueror and the Norman
knights took over England at the Battle of
Hastings in 1066 C.E.
D.
in 1154, Henry II came to power and set up
English common law (a legal system based
on custom and court rulings)
E.
set up juries for trials
II. Evolving Traditions of Government
A.
Henry II got into battles with nobles and
church leaders
B.
John, Henry’s son, was forced to sign the
Magna Carta, or Great Charter in 1215
C.
Magna Carta gave nobles and the church
rights (arrest and imprisonment outlawed
w/o trial)due process of law
C.
Could not raise taxes w/o consultation
no taxation w/o representation
E.
king had to obey laws
F.
In 1200s, the Great Council evolved
into Parliament
G. Parliament developed into two-houses:
1. House of Lordsnobles and clergy
2. House of Commonsknights and
middle-class
H. Hundred Years’ Warwar with France
from 1337-1453; gave Parliament
more power and put king in check
D.
III. Triumph of Parliament
A.
From 1483-1603, the Tudor dynasty ruled
England (Henry VIII, Elizabeth I)
B.
Henry VIII broke from Rome and formed
Church of England (Protestant Reformation)
C.
the Stuarts took over and clashed with
Parliament”century of revolution”
D.
absolute monarch—a ruler with complete
authority over gov’t and lives of people
E.
English civil war, 1642-1649, fought by
Charles I and nobles against Oliver
Cromwell and Parliament
F.
Cromwell and Parliament win and execute
the kingimpacted all of Europe
G. England became a republic, known as
the Commonwealth, with Cromwell in
charge
H. after Cromwell’s death, Charles II
came to power, supported by
Catholics
I.
James II, Charles’ brother, became
king in 1685 and installed Catholics in
office
J.
Parliament supported William and
Mary and James II went to
FranceGlorious Revolution
K.
L.
M.
N.
English Bill of Rights—had to be signed
by William and Mary before taking
power
Parliament had power over monarchy
habeas corpus—no prison w/o being
charged
limited monarchy—a constitution or
legislative body limit the monarch’s
powernot a democracy