Civil Republicanism and its view
1. What is the ‘civic republican’ view?
2. What are some of the highlights of democracy mentioned in the “Standard History of Democracy”?
3. Would you like some more information or guidance about the assessment? If so, what kind of information would you like from me and how do you want to access it?
4. What was the key chant of the French Revolution?
5. What were some of the ideas/ideologies underpinning the colonial period?
6. What year was the Treaty of Versailles and why was it unsuccessful?
7. Can you name the 5 supposed preconditions for democracy?
1. The concept of civil republicanism can be defined as the political thought process which stresses on the interconnection between the “right to freedom” of the individuals . and the need to participate in the civil activities which are required of them by virtue of being part of the republic. The primary purpose of this particular political thought process is to achieve the goal of greater good for the betterment of the individuals related to the republic. Therefore, this particular thought process can be seen in opposition to the traditionally popular autocratic or dictatorial reign of the individuals where the entire power of the nation lies at the discretion of one individual and all other bodies of the state and its organization are subordinate to him or her. Thus, it can be said that this particular political thought tries to eradicate the strong hold of one particular person over the operations of the state which thereby deprives the other individuals of their basic or fundamental rights. It is significant to note that these basic or fundamental rights are very important not only to for propagation of democracy but also for the improvement of the lives of the citizens of the nation as they have been designed with the sole objective of providing the maximum amount of benefit or utility to the maximum number of people.
2. The work “Standard History of Democracy” intends to give a brief historical background of the concept of democracy and also the way it is being used by the various nations of the present times. The main highlight of the work is that whereas the majority of the works focus on the concept of democracy, the benefits which it provides to the various nations of the world and its citizens, the issues which the framework of democracy is facing at the current moment and others this particular work focuses on the historical background of the concept of the factors which have lead to the popularity and the growth of this particular concept. The work beings by providing an overview of the way this particular concept was being used by the various nations of the world in the ancient times. The author gives an introduction to the prototypes of democracy which was used in the states of Athens, Greece and others. Furthermore, the work also focuses on the concept of democracy was being used by ancient India, China and other nations primarily the Islamic states. The author also focuses on the way this particular concept was being used in the Medieval Ages. Finally, the author discusses about the way the process of colonialism has affected the concept of democracy and also the way it is being utilized by the various indigenous people of the world. Finally, the author tries to give an overview of the recent trends which is being seen into the framework of democracy in the recent times. These in short are some of the key highlights of the work under discussion here.
Highlights of the standard history of democracy
3. I would like to say that the course work as well as the assignment details were very adequately explained and covered by you. However, I feel that a bit more of discussion about the way the concept of democracy is being used in the 21st century by the various nations of the world and a brief discussion about the kind of democracy which is being used by the different nations of the world. Furthermore, a bit more of information about the factors which necessitated the rise as well as the development of this particular process would have been more helpful for me. I would have also liked much if you would have focus more on the use of digital media for the process of explaining the topics which are a part of our syllabus. The use of short documentaries and an analysis of the key individuals who worked towards the growth of this particular concept have also been very helpful. Moreover, I am also of the opinion that I would have been able to do the assignment in a much better manner if I had been provided a much wider canvas and have been allowed to elaborate more on the concepts which are a part of this assignment as I feel that just 230 words are not enough to show one’s understanding of a particular concept.
4. The French Revolution is often seen as the revolt of a nation against the atrocities as well as injustices committed to its citizens by its rulers. Thus, the key chant of this particular revolution was the cry of “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”. It is significant to note that these three concepts are a common part of the democratic framework of the majority of the nations of present day political world. Furthermore, the key words of the chant are a representative of the ideas or the concepts which the people of the nation wanted the government to provide them. This particular chant had its origin in the philosophical works of some of the philosophers of the nation like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu, Voltaire and others. Therefore, it can be said that the people of the nation demanded liberty from the autocratic reign of the ruler of France, the equality of all the citizens before the government of the nation the fulcrum of which was the king of France and a feeling of fraternity among all the citizens of the nation. Furthermore, it is seen that this particular chant was later on used by the various nations not only as part of their constitution but also as the chant in their fight against the traditional dogmas which formed a part of their society.
Information or guidance about the assessment
5. The primary ideology which underpinned the colonial period was the concept of the “White Man’s Burden”. This particular ideology articulated the fact that the white men are the only true descendents of the pure blood Aryan race and the other individuals are of impure blood lines. Therefore, it became one of the key responsibilities of the white men to work towards the growth as well as the development of these people and at the same time make their best endeavor to try to civilize these people. This particular view found support from the fact the majority of the people belonging to the third world countries lived like the prehistoric people and followed various kinds of pagan religion. Therefore, the white men needs to take the onus on themselves not only civilize these prehistoric men but at the same time provide them with the relevant education which is likely to improve their lives. The white men also tried to teach these people about the various precepts of the religion of Christianity and tried to eradicate the inhuman practices as well as sacrifices which they performed in the name of religion. However, it is seen that the colonizers had other hidden motives like wealth, cheap labor and others behind these initiatives undertaken by them.
6. The “Treaty of Versailles” was signed on 28th June 1919 between the Allied Powers and the nation of Germany. There were many reasons for the failure of this particular treaty and it was even said that this particular treaty entailed with itself “germs of the Second World War”. The First World War was described as the war which would end all the wars however at the conclusion of the war it was seen that the treaty itself gave rise to the causes which lead to the Second World War. For example, the nation of Germany was completely deprived of its major industrial regions like the Rhine Valley and others and at the same time was made to pay a huge war indemnity fee for the war. Furthermore, the nation of Germany had to undergo disarmament in order to maintain status quo of the world. In addition to these, Germany was also deprived of its foreign colonies and all other means of income. Furthermore, the nation of Italy which was on the side of Allied Powers did not get its due share out of the war earnings made by the other nations who were a part of this particular power group. These in short were some of the short comings which lead to the failure of this particular treaty.
7. The five preconditions which are necessary for the establishment of democracy in a particular nation are-
- The establishment of a mean or a middle path between the ruling government of the nation and the concept of the “rule of law”. This will enable the government of the nation to foster a condition wherein the practices of the government will be governed by the rules as well as the policies dictated by the government which are in synchronization with the aim of providing equal opportunities to all the people.
- Fair and free elections are another prerequisite condition of the concept of democracy. The concept of democracy believes in the creation of a government which is “for the people, by the people and of the people. Therefore, the concept of fair elections provides the people with the opportunity to create their own government.
- The nation should try to foster a environment wherein the basic rights as well as the security of the nation will be ensured.
- The fostering of the concept of “liberty, equality and fraternity” is another prerequisite of the state of democracy which is likely to help the nation to foster a state of democracy.
- Basic civil rights as well as liberties are important prerequisites of the formation of the state of democracy.