Sept 13, 2006

OUTLINE

American Heritage 100
Fall 2006

Power and Freedom, Day 2

1. Ancient Greece
   A. Athenian democracy
   B. The Evils of democracy

2. Characteristics of the Good Society
   A. Prosperity
   B. Widespread political participation
   C. Great creativity
   
3. Establishing political legitimacy
   A. Approval of the Gods ( Divine Right of Kings)
   B. Religious authority (theocracy)
   C. Lineage (aristocracy)
   D. Intelligence of wisdom (meritocracy)
   E. History
   F. Consent (democracy)
      1. Source of legitimacy in Locke & Rousseau models
      
4. Four alternative styles of government
   A. Autocracy
   B. Classical Republicanism
   C. Libertarianism
   D. Liberalism
   
5. The Founder's Tool Kit

LECTURE NOTES

Intro Music
couglias: madison's psydonym

Athenian democracy - true democracy, everyone had a voice
-widespread vote (not female, not slave)

MEDIA CLIP
year 419BC- athenian democracy- facing persian- ostracize- banish the person trying to overthrow the power

Athenian ruler, SOLON
An orderly state is created when the people obey rulers and the rulers obey the laws

Evils of democracy
Factionalism
Corruption
Structural Flaws-> Low participation

*The assembly a noble body in its better days had degenerated into a mob hating all superiority, rejecting all restraint
-Will Durrant, Life of Greece

The Good Society
-prosperity
-widespread political participation
-great creativity
- literature: sophocles
- history: thucydides, herodotus
- philosophy: Socrates, plato
- science: Aristotle
- artchitecture: Phidias the parthenon

The good society
individualism destroys the group, but stimulates personality, mental exploration, and artistic creation

Romulus and Remus:
Founders of rome

MEDIA CLIP: Monty Python and the Quest for the holy Grail
-king/dennis/vote
-how did you become king? i didn't vote for you
-you don't vote for kings

Legitimacy through religious authority
Iran: Ayatollah ruholla knomeini

Legitimacy through lineage (aristocracy)
Tongan King Taufa'ahau Toupou IV
Descended from first ruler of tonga

Legitimacy Through connections to history
american republic

Aztecs Claimed legitimacy as heirs to toltecs(history

Legitimacy through wisdom (meritocracy)
MEDIA CLIP: Simpsons - MENSA

Legitimacy through consent (post-hussein voting in basrah, iraq)

Autocracy
-dictactorships,british tyranny over colonists

Classical Republicanism (see slides)
Libertarianism (see slides)
Liberalism (see slides)

MEDIA CLIP: Is the USA now- The nanny state (too many laws)