Chapter 2 – The Democratic Ideal (Part 2)

Aristotle’s Six-fold Classification of Government

In Whose Interest?

Rule By The Public The Ruler(s)

ONE Monarchy Tyranny/Totalitarianism

THE FEW Aristocracy Oligarchy

THE MANY Polity (Republic) Democracy

Source: Adapted from Ball, Terence and Richard Dagger, Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, 5th ed. (New York: Pearson/Longman): 22.

CLASSICAL REPUBLICANISM & ITS LEGACYAristotle’s, Plato’s, & Polybius’s fears of democracy foreshadowed the fears held by the American foundersAncient Rome inaugurated the concept of the separation of powers

Mixed government in Ancient Rome divided power among the classes. Each class participated in its own institution of government• Assemblies: The People (Democratic Element)• Senate: The Aristocracy• Consuls: Enacted policy (Monarchical Element)

As with an alloy, mixed government would be stronger, less prone to the dominance of any one class, and less likely to create corrupt citizens. Republic: from the latin “res publica,” meaning the public place

Fall & Renaissance of Classical RomeRoman Empire (44 AD – 476 AD) – Emphasized rule of monarchs and later emperors at the expense of the Republican principles of mixed governmentMiddle Ages (5th Century AD through 13th & 14th Century) – Society was based on Fuedalism & Christianity, not Republicanism & DemocracyBy the 1200s, some Italian city states won a measure of political independence from the Church

Looked back to Ancient Roman Republicanism to provide new justification for self government, esp. after the death of Frederick II in 1250Aristotle’s Politics translated into Latin (1260)

Renaissance 14th C – 17th C – Started in Italy as a rebirth of classical Greek & Roman culture (in the arts, sciences, astronomy & mathematics, as well as in ethics & politics)

Ancient Rome and Classical Republicanism: The Great Niccolo Machiavelli

Machiavelli’s The Prince provided recommendations for the seizure and maintenance of Princely power

His more important work, Discourses on Titus Livy, explicates the meaning and nature of the Republican Ideal, through an interpretation of the work of the ancient Roman historian of the Augustan era, Titus Livy

Ancient Rome and Classical Republicanism: The Great Niccolo Machiavelli

Machiavelli is describing how to govern best. Really, he wants to construct a great northern Italian “nation.”

Corruption was the greatest threat to a people

Was his conception of corruption the same as ours?

Foreign armies were pretty worrisome too

He excavates the essentials of classical republicanism:

Gov’t of laws, not men

Mixed government

Virtuous citizenry (alert to public affairs, rather than private)

Need for contestation and struggle between classes

Citizen army of able bodied men

The Atlantic Republican Tradition

In the 1640s, the British attempted to replace monarchism with republicanism.

Efforts of James Harrington and other English republicans were stymied by the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 (Charles II).

Britain does eventually develop a “constitutional monarchy” which is similar to republican government

Republican values fully informed the American and French revolutions

The Atlantic Republican Tradition (con’t)Drew on Aristotle’s civic humanism: the idea that people become more moral, and become more concerned with the public interest through their participation in public life

Republicanism and the American Founding

What was the problem that the colonists had with the English arrangement of Crown, House of Lords, and House of Commons?

Was their initial complaint with the English monarchy

or with something else?

The Framers’ View of Democracy

● Feared Democracy and minimized democratic aspirations

● Favored an elitist conception of Government – leave the ship of state in the hands of those with more leisure, wealth, social standing and education

●Roger Williams’ democratic government in Rhode Island (est. 1647) was an exception

Why did the Framers fear too much democracy?

● Feared that the demos would be concerned for their own private gain, rather than the common good

- If not checked & balanced, could lead to majority tyranny

● Feared that the demos would be swayed by demagogues

● Feared that the masses would fight each other for short term gain, leading to anarchy and civil war

Fears of the Framers – Eliminate tyranny in all its forms

Tyranny from a Monarch or President, such as King George III

Tyranny from a Democratic Majority (Majority Tyranny)

Tyranny From an Aristocratic or Democratic Minority that could gain control of government

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Federalistssuch as Hamilton & Jay opposed a Bill of Rights; wished for stronger central governmentLess democratic, if at all

Anti-Federalists(along with Madison, ultimately, and Jefferson) insisted on Bill of Rights to safeguard the role of the states (the people)A bit more democratic

Political Liberty and DemocracySeparate concepts

Fareed Zakaria argues that Political Liberty, or liberalism, should precede democracy.

Democracy requires a polity that has some history with liberalism, or political liberty