Category Social Sciences

The Word ‘Parliament’

 The French word ‘parler’ means to talk and ‘parlement’ means to parley, or consult, or hold a conference. In time, the word ‘parlement’ came to denote a conference between the king and his chief subjects.

 The word ‘parliament’ came into usage between 1258 and 1265. This was the period when Simon de Montfort, the most notable English statesman of his era, gained fame as a political reformer. Although he was born into the French aristocracy, Simon de Montfort moved to England during the reign of Henry Ill to claim an inherited title. Simon led a movement to limit the king’s governing powers, and, after an armed revolt, ruled England for about a year. He ruled with the help of a body known as the ‘Great Council’, and soon, the most important meetings of the Great Council became known as parliaments.

 

Why was the Roman Republic not a true democracy?

Around 500 BC, the Roman aristocrats, who were rich landowners, decided they didn’t want to be ruled by kings anymore. These rich people wanted more power for themselves. But they couldn’t get rid of the kings all by themselves. They needed the poor men to fight for them. So, they promised the poor men that they would have a lot of power in the new government; if they would help get rid of the kings.

But once the kings were out, the Roman aristocrats didn’t want to give the poor men any power. So, the leaders of the poor men moved out-side the city, and went on strike. They refused to work anymore unless they got some power. The Roman aristocrats had to give in to them, and this was the beginning of the Roman Republic.

However, the Roman Republic was not a democracy. It consisted of patricians- or the rich and powerful families- and the plebeians, or ordinary farmers and merchants. Only patricians were allowed into the Roman Senate, which made all the important decisions. This made the plebeians very unhappy, and they demanded more rights. They made the aristocrats agree that the poor men could also elect representatives called tribunes.

Tribunes had to be chosen from the poor people, and they went to all the meetings of the Senate. They could veto anything the Senate did which would be detrimental to the interests of the poor people. Veto means ‘I forbid it’ in Latin and it meant that the tribunes could forbid any law that was bad for the poor. 

Why Greece is called the birth-place of democracy?

You all know that India is a democracy, but do you know what a democracy is? Democracy, in Greek, means the rule of the people. In a democracy, the government is run by the people, and the citizens make their own laws. The earliest democracy in the world began in Athens in 510 BC.

 However, Athens did not always have a democracy. In the beginning it was ruled by a king, or monarch, and this system of government is called a monarchy. Later, soldiers handpicked a new leader and put him in power. The leader would do what was best for him and the soldiers. This system, which is known as a tyranny, was quite often unjust and oppressive. By 800 BC, yet another form of government was established in Athens. It was the rule by a few rich and powerful families, and this system, known as an oligarchy, was not fair either. The Athenians decided that they wanted a just and fair means of government, and so, democracy was born.

In Athens, democracy meant that the administration was in the hands of the many and not the few with equal justice given to all. Each year, 500 names were drawn from all the citizens of Athens. Those 500 citizens had to serve for one year as the law makers of ancient Athens.

All the citizens of Athens were required to vote on any new law that this body of 500 citizens created. Each man had one vote, and the majority ruled. Women, children, and slaves were not citizens, and thus, could not vote. 

Which was the last day of the Soviet Union?

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the USSR or Soviet Union was the successor to the Russian Empire of the tsars. It came into existence in 1922, and stretched from the Baltic and Black Seas to the Pacific Ocean. In its final years, it consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics.

During the period of its existence, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was by area, the world’s largest country. It was also one of the most diverse, with more than 100 distinct nationalities living within its borders. The U.S.S.R. covered some 22,400,000 square kilometers, seven times the area of India, and two and one-half times that of the United States. The country occupied nearly one-sixth of the Earth’s land surface, including the eastern half of Europe, and roughly the northern third of Asia.

 Dramatic changes, both political and economic, occurred during the late 1980’s and early 90’s. There was political restructuring, and greater openness to revitalize a struggling economy. There was also a wave of increased nationalism among the member republics, and in December of 1991, as the world watched in amazement, the Soviet Union disintegrated into fifteen separate countries. On 25th December 1991, the Soviet flag was lowered for the last time, marking the last official day of the Soviet Union.

Which was the last day of the British Raj in India?

The British ruled India for over 100 years, and this period is known as the days of the British Raj. Under British rule, a strong Indian Nationalist Movement developed, that was led by Gandhiji. His famous campaign of non violence and civil disobedience finally succeeded in ending the British Raj and winning independence for India.The British Raj formally ended on midnight, August 14th 1947. A conch shell was blown to herald freedom, and to mark the opening of the new Indian Constituent Assembly. Each member swore allegiance to independent India. Nehru’s Independence Day speech stirred every Indian’s heart as he uttered the now famous words  ‘At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom’.

            

When did slavery end?

Between 1450 and the late 1800’s, it is estimated that between 10 and 15 million Africans were kidnapped, and sold into slavery. The slave trade was incredibly profitable, but very cruel too. For over 300 years, slaves were captured along the west coast of Africa, often with the active help of African kings and merchants. Slaves were traded for beads, textiles, brandy, horses, and guns. Slavery was illegal in the United States after the Civil War, but slaves continued to be traded in Central and South America for another 40 years, until finally slavery was declared illegal in Central and South America as well. 

Slavery existed not only in America, but in other parts of the world as well. Denmark was the first European country to abolish slavery in 1804, while Britain abolished slavery in March 1907. In the United States, slavery was one of the main issues in the Civil War between the North and the South. The last day of legal slavery in the USA was 31st January, 1865, while the world wide abolishment of slavery took place only in 1926.