Basics of Democracy

Watch the video until 2.05 minutes 

The word Democracy comes from the greek word ‘Demos’ which means people and kratos which means power or rule.  So democracy basically means the rule of the people.  

Democracy first started as a direct democracy in Greek cities notably in Ancient Athens, where people came together to speak about their concerns and opinions in front of rulers at the cities state, directly voted on new rules and laws. Here is considered as the birth place of democracy.  

For the very first time, decisions were made by the people instead of rulers.  Sadly, the ancient greeks did not see all people equally.  Slaves, women, children and the people who did not have a land were not allowed to vote.  This is what we call a flawed democracy today.  

After the greeks lost their power and influence in the first century AD their early forms of democracy were also fading away until the magna carter was signed in 1215 which prevented the king of England to do what ever he wanted.  It said that even a king had to follow the countries rules and laws, which were written in the constitution.  

Today, most democracies are indirect or representative which means that you can’t vote for a new law yourself but you can vote for people then become law makers and present your interests.  But democracy, isn’t just about voting, it’s about everyhting that protects the best interests of the people no matter what is their race, gender, political or religion.  These interests can be human rights, quality of life or infrastruture and many more.  

Modern democracy is divided into three different branches: Thejudge  Legislative, the people who make the law, the Executive, the people who make sure you obey the law and Judiciary who judge you if you commit a crime.  These three are independent and work following the process and some balances, which means all the work must be clear and fair and very important people who have power also must follow the law and not exceed their authority.

---

Complete this 3 level guide:

	Questions to answer	Answer
1	The word democracy comes from the word ‘Demos’ meaning voting and ‘chaos’ meaning area - true or false	False
2	Direct democracy started in Athens - true or false	False
3	You can vote for people who become law makers  - true or false	True
4	Which groups were not allowed to vote?	Slaves, women, Children and men that did not have land
5	What was direct democracy and how did it work?	Democracy was about people who could speak there concerns and opinions.
6	Democracy is about protecting the best interests of the people. What are some of those interests?	People rights To protect religion,race and gender and for those others to be respected.
7	What are the three branches of power in a democracy?  What does each area and branch do?	Executive:make sure you obey the law Judiciary:Judge if you commit a crime Legislative:Make the laws
8	At the moment in New Zealand, there is a debate about letting prisoners vote. Have a look at this article and write down two perspectives that are opposite and what they think about letting prisoners vote.	Labour:The Labour Party has indicated its strong support for restoring voting rights for some prisoners, but the prime minister said she couldn't speak for the other governing parties. National: The National Party, however, is standing firm on a blanket ban saying it would block any attempt to reverse it.
9	What is your point of view?  Should we give prisoners the right to view.  Explain your answer and write a blog	I think that prisoners don't get a vote because they are the ones who make the world an unfair and unsafe place