As it is the local body elections, I thought a couple of articles regarding the history of democracy and voting might be in order. Look out for next week when an article about the life and accomplishments of Kate Sheppard will be put up.

Ben Knowles – Editor / Operator @ The Upper Hutt Connection.

Democracy started in ancient Greece, this being a true democracy as every free-man over the age of 30 in the city states that formed ancient Greece in that time (for example Athens and Sparta were two separate city states) could stand and up and give his opinion, in an allotted time frame, on the matters being discussed at the public meetings which were held in the agora (marketplace) of the city. This true democracy was feasible because of the limited populations at the time, the fact that only free-men over the age of 30 could be a member of these meetings. – Slaves, women, and those under the age of 30 were not allowed to attend.

The Romans then further developed the idea, introducing their own system which is very similar to what most countries have today. The Romans invented the republic system of democracy where the people had senators to represent them. Elections were held each year by the people to choose which senators would hold different responsibilities and positions.

After the fall of the western Roman Empire in the year 471 AD (The eastern Roman empire became the Byzantine empire), the Roman style of government largely disappeared, and the ruling of Europe took the style of monarchy and feudalist systems. It wasn’t until the Enlightenment movement in the 17^th and 18^th centuries that the ideas of the modern democracy started to come forth from some philosophers of the age. The late 18^th century saw the formation of the first democratic governments of the age: The United States with its constitution in 1787 and France quickly following with its Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen in 1789. Since then, democracy has continued to evolve, and despite setbacks and challenges at times, its core idea remains: Governance should reflect the will and welfare of the people.

The Upper Hutt Connection.

15/09/25