Module 1 (Topic 1) Part i

Study Notes

The Greek democracy differed substantially from modern democracy, although the underlying principles remained the same.
Citizens had to be born to an Athenian father and an Athenian mother, over 18 years old, and completed their military training in order to become citizens.
Only around 5000 people were considered citizens and they had to regularly attend the frequent meetings at the Assembly.
The elections favoured the rich and powerful over the ordinary citizens, however, there was an element of transparency and fairness as the officials and all jurymen were selected by lot to serve for only a year to avoid corruption.
The Greek democracy required active participation, a sense of civic duty, discipline, and discussions.
In ancient Greece, the people had a say in how their government ran through the process of proposing and passing laws.
If a proposed law challenged the Constitution, the citizen would be heavily fined.
Plato was a critic of democracy and believed that the majority of people were by large and ignorant, making them unfit to rule.
In a democracy, the people are very open to manipulation and persuasion. Most people are not fit to govern themselves or others.
Modern dictators have usually come to power in times of emergency.
Democracy promotes freedom, but it is the institutionalization of freedom that is important.
The three pillars of democracy are: separation of powers, rule of law, and accountability.
Leaders must allow for public scrutiny of what they do while in public office, and transparency is another important principle of democracy.
Public office holders in a democracy should be regular, free and fair in their elections in order to ensure that the citizens have a say in who leads the country.
Economic freedom is key to a healthy democracy as it allows citizens to make their own decisions and support themselves financially.
Separation of powers allows for checks and balances on the government, preventing them from abusing their power.
The legislative branch is responsible for passing laws, while the executive branch executes those laws. The judiciary is also an important part of the government, as it can rule on whether laws are constitutional.
Malta has a parliamentary system with a majority of government party members in Parliament. The executive also has a majority of two-thirds to amend the constitution.