Regulus
Regular Member
Of course democracy of Ancient Greece didn't contain our modern view consiting of legislative, executive and jurisdiction. It had no human rights agenda, no labor unions, no complex party programs with liberal, green or socialist parties. But after all it was a democracy, which developed and progressed over the millenia (after it was gone for some while and then discovered again to start the Renaissance).
Our 'fully developed' democracy of today is based on it and had to be started at some point!
I guess only a very small percentage of my ancestors lived within the Roman Empire during it's existence, most of my ancestors were probably living somewhere on 'barbarian' Germanic and Slavic grounds. And yet I think my life got affected somewhere by Greco-Roman culture, which together with Christianity and Germanic mentality lead to today's North European culture.
Oh and by the way, Germanic tribes too had some kind of democracy. It was called 'Thing' in which all FREE MEN could participate. Free men! Not slaves! Who were also part of Germanic culture! I don't know if Celts had slaves. Probably Celts had their own form of democracy, too. But I don't think that today's democracy and human rights are based on it.
Good points.
Early Germans were much more democratic than the Celts. The Celts tended to go much more with Kings, although even these needed to cultivate support to ensure their position. Kingship with the Germans was not common early on. It was seen with large groups such as that of the Marcommani. Early Germans tended to elect Kings in times of war only.
The Vikings were probably the least inclined to Kingship early on and held on to their early parliaments in a number of cases such as in Iceland.