Democracy The Romans developed a more representative type of democracy than the Greeks, and it wasn’t really conceptualized as a democracy so much as it was a republic. Of course, the Romans brought culture to Europe, particularly to England. We see the stage getting set in the English history when we see the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta is a document that stands out in history as one in which, for the first time, you see the common man beginning to establish some measure of authority and choice in his daily life, because up until that point in time the Divine Right of Kings was pretty well accepted. Of course, the next major step in democracy was with the United States in the forming of the United States and our Founding Fathers. Another important variable in this mix that we’re talking about is the concept of an informed citizenry. I like to think that an informed citizenry is the guardian genius of democracy. That’s why freedom of the press is such an important concept in our society, today. In order to have a fully functioning democracy, you must have citizens who are politically aware. So, a high premium is placed on political awareness. Voting we take very seriously. It’s grounds for expulsion if one does not exercise one’s right to vote. It’s considered a very, very profound responsibility, and that’s part of the type of democracy that we’re trying to strive for. We call it a participatory democracy, which is a democracy that if people don’t fully participate, it very rapidly devolves into a dictatorship. That’s the fuel for every tyranny that’s ever risen on earth: when the populace loses the incentive or the ability to fully participate, they lose control of their own government.
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