Listen & Learn: History of Democracy
Posted by: Jaksyn PeacockPre-listening vocabulary
- democracy: a form of government where people vote for leaders and sometimes laws
- eligible: considered fit to do something
- citizen: someone who legally belongs to a country
- evidence: proof that supports a certain theory or belief
- civilization: a complex society with laws and government
- elect: to vote for a leader
- referendum: a vote on a law that all citizens can participate in directly
Listening activity
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Gapfill exercise
Comprehension questions
See answers below
- To vote in Athenian democracy, you had to be
a. a free citizen
b. a free land-owning citizen
c. a free male citizen - The part of government made up of all eligible Athenian citizens was called
a. the Senate
b. the Council
c. the Assembly - Most democracies around the world are
a. direct
b. representative
c. authoritarian
Discussion/essay questions
- Winston Churchill famously said “Democracy is the worst system of government except for all those other forms that have been tried.” What do you think of this quote? Do you agree or disagree? What do you think the best system of government would look like?
Transcript
The word “democracy” comes from the ancient Greek word demokratia. “Demos” means “people” and kratos means “rule.” The idea of demokratia originated in Athens around 500 BCE. Athenian democracy was a direct democracy, which meant it allowed the people to vote on decisions and laws. Not everyone could vote. Only free male citizens were eligible. The eligible people formed a part of government called the Assembly. To participate, Athenian men had to go to Assembly meetings and share their opinions. Although the word “democracy” originated in Greece, there is evidence for other ancient democracies. Some early tribes around the world used popular rule. Many historians now believe that civilizations in Mesoamerica also had democratic governments. Today, most democracies are representative, which means that people elect leaders to make decisions for them. However, some countries, like Switzerland, require referendums for important decisions.
Answers to comprehension questions
1c 2c 3b
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4 comments
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Arsène izanga says:
It’s great to learn another words!
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Emina Masinovic says:
It’s nice to learn new terms in English.
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Siddig says:
Is so nice story I like such things
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Jennifer Sutherland says:
Gorgeous item and great for knowing more words about it!!!!!