Explore the fascinating history of democracy, from the ancient world to the modern day. See how the idea emerged in ancient Greece, giving this form of government its name: "demos" (people) "kratos" (power), and chart the defining moments of democratic societies across millenia. From revolts and revolutions to suffrage movements, protests and referendums, discover how and why democracy has become such a powerful force for progress in the world today.
WELCOME
FORMS OF GOVERNMENT • Discover the many faces of democracy, and the other political systems through which the world is ruled
THE STATE OF DEMOCRACY • How is democracy progressing today, and how has it evolved so far?
DEMOCRACY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
DEMOCRACY THROUGH HISTORY: ANCIENT MILESTONES
HOW DEMOCRACY WAS BORN • The city-state of Athens brought the foundations of democracy to the world in the 5th century BCE
THE LAWS OF DRACO
THROUGH OSTRACISM
RISE & FALL OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC • The democratic model of the Roman Republic still shapes governments today – but how was it created and why did it fail?
THE TWELVE TABLES
FOLLOWING ROME
DEMOCRACY IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD
DEMOCRACY THROUGH HISTORY: MEDIEVAL MILESTONES
VIKING DEMOCRACY • How a bunch of looting Vikings established the first representative assemblies
THE FIRST PARLIAMENT
THE IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY • Democratic indigenous societies emerged independently across the globe all throughout history – not just in Europe, as has long been thought
THE INDIGENOUS LEGACY: BEYOND THE IROQUOIS
THE MANDEN CHARTER • Prince Sundiata Keita established the Mali Empire on a series of principles and values that helped define fundamental rights
MAGNA CARTA • Discover how this 800-year-old document made Britain the country it is today
MAGNA CARTA IN NORTH AMERICA
Five charter facts
THE BIRTH OF BRITISH DEMOCRACY SIMON DE MONTFORT’S 1265 PARLIAMENT • For the first time, representatives of the common man gave their opinions next to barons and bishops
THE PALACE OF WESTMINSTER • Known as the ‘Mother of Parliaments’, Westminster’s iconic architecture is recognised throughout the world
A tour around the Houses of Parliament • The heart of British politics is a maze-like building put together over hundreds of years…
Parliament in progress • We pick just a few of the notable dates in the Palace of Westminster’s long history
BIG BEN IN FOCUS
THE TWO-HOUSE SYSTEM
Of Gunpowder and Treason
TYNWALD THE THING IN THE FIELD • The oldest continuous parliament in the world is not in Greece, but sits on an island in the middle of the Irish Sea
DEMOCRACY IN THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD
DEMOCRACY THROUGH HISTORY: EARLY MODERN MILESTONES
DEMOCRACY IN MESOAMERICA • The Greeks and Romans weren’t the only ancient civilisations that developed democratic systems
THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE PARLIAMENT THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR • How this defining conflict led to a uniquely English approach to democracy
SECTS & SAINTS
THE FREE PRESS • The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg led to a social revolution that powered political change, turning democratic ideas into reality
AUTHORITARIANISM VS THE FREE PRESS
BUILDING A NATION • Finding common ground in government presented a major challenge as the American colonies emerged from revolution and set about building a nation
The two-party system • The two-party system that characterises American politics was born of sectionalism and differing ideological visions
INSIDE THE US CAPITOL • Explore the...