This is an example of notetaking for Mr. Sovel's 10th grade World History class. This is the Prologue unit from the textbook Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction¹.

page 1	South Africans wait for the first chance to vote in an all races election [May 1994] Democracy matters: WHY?
pages 2-3	Unit themes Government: a system that people use to exercise authority People want a role in governing themselves revolution: English establish the right to limit rulers authority Their revolution models for future revolutions Democracy starts with Greece Authority vs. individual rights is explored during the periods of the Renaissance, Reformation And the Enlightenment   Examples Roman forum: citizens debate Athens [400BC]: juries decide verdicts West Africa: elders [male] make decisions
page 4	Issues Why is democracy worth risking your life for it? Do people have an obligation to resist oppression?
ch. I pages 5-6	Government: a system for exercising authority Democracy: the idea that people can govern themselves Athens [600 BC] early form of democracy State ruled by nobles and elected assembly Citizens: adult males Solon [594 BC] Passed laws to protect common people Created 4 classes of citizens based on wealth rather than heredity All could sit on juries He increased participation in government Citizens could bring charges against others Cleisthenes [508BC] Athens Regarded as the founder of democracy Reorganized the assembly Broke up some of the nobles powers Allowed all citizens to submit laws for debate and passage Greece forms alliance of 140 city-states &emdash; Delian League Age of Pericles [461-429 BC]: Golden Age of Greece
page 7	Through greater citizen participation, evolved in direct democracy Peloponnesian War [431-404 BC] ends the Delian League   Monarchy [government controlled by 1 person] begins under Philip II and Alexander the Great Greek philosophers seek ‘the truth’ about the nature of the universe, society and morality They believed in human reason, logic, and intelligence therefore, the value of the individual [Socrates, Plato] Created 3 branches of government Legislative&emdash;passes laws Executive&emdash; carries out the laws Judicial&emdash; settles disputes about laws
pages 8-9	Rome becomes a Republic Roman aristocrats overthrow their king [509 BC] They form a republic [indirect democracy] A form of government where citizens have the right to elect leaders who then make the government decisions and laws Patricians and plebians [freeborn males] Revise the legislative branch into the Senate [aristocrats] and two assemblies   Roman Law Tried to create a universally applied system of laws throughout the entire empire Based it on principles of reason and justice Examples Equal treatment under the law Innocent until proven guilty Burden of proof on the accuser Unfair laws could be changed or dropped Justinian Code: a single uniform set of laws for all of ‘New Rome’   Written laws: a government of laws, not man, where all could be held accountable
ch. II page 10	Themes The rule of law: all must obey Made and enforced by the people Citizens can administer laws by serving on juries
page 11	Examples Islamic law based on the Qur’an and their prophet Chinese emperors were autocratic rulers: they had unlimited authority English Middle Ages: trial by ordeal
page 12	Affect of Judeo-Christian tradition on democratic ideals Their ideas about (1) Worth of individuals (2) Responsibility of the individual to the community   Judaism Believed in one god [omnipotent god] People created in god’s image, therefore divine People could choose between good and evil
page 13	Code of laws &emdash; 10 Commandments They focused on morality and ethics, less on political laws They were added to by the prophets [Moses] Social conscience: responsibility to Oppose injustice and oppression Community must assist the unfortunate   Christianity Based on the teachings of Christ The apostle Paul spread his message
page 14	Paul said it was a universal religion which accepted all converts Equality of all human beings   Islam 600 AD] Monotheistic Dignity of all human beings Brotherhood of all people Tolerance of different groups
page 15	Monotheistic religions legacy &emdash; all equal before god   Reformation &emdash; Reformation Roman Catholic church dominated throughout Europe during the Middle Ages Very authoritarian 1300’s: the Renaissance, a rebirth of culture, begins in Italy it increased the trend towards individualism [ex.: explorers, conquerors, merchant-capitalists]
page 16	The Renaissance rejected many of the medieval church views The Reformation extended this spirit of questioning Began as a religious movement to reform the Catholic Church Ended up as a new branch of Christianity: Protestantism It encouraged people to make their own religious choices This emphasis on personal judgement strengthened the importance of the individual
Ch. III page 17	Democracy develops in England In 1066, William conquers England This leads to the establishment of feudalism Henry II [1154-1189] developed juries as a way to administer royal justice These juries did not make decisions, but gathered information led to a system of common law that reflected customs & principles developed over time In 1215, the nobles rebelled against the king and made him submit to their written demands and limits on the king’s authority [Magna Carta]
page 18	Magna Carta Contract between king and nobles Limited monarch’s powers Govern according to law Introduced due process of law It eventually included all of the English people Laws were established by parliament Model Parliament included more than lords; it eventually becomes the House of Commons The House of Commons comes to control the taxes and spending
page 19	Parliament saw itself as a partner of the monarch in governing During the 1600’s, monarchs claimed divine right [their power came from god] Therefore, to challenge the monarch was to challenge god Harsh rule plus financial problems forced monarchs to negotiate with Parliament: established the Petition of Right After the monarch made it through the tough financial times, he tried to ignore the deals he made, but this did not last
page 20	The Restoration: created the constitutional monarchy Parliament restored the monarchy, but tried to limit its powers and extend their own rights Established Habeas Corpus The right to know what you are accused of Right to have court decide
page 21	Under William and Mary, monarch’s accepted a bill of rights This was a formal summary of rights and liberties considered essential to people
page 22	Hoped to use reason to discover the natural laws of society as they had with the physical world   Hobbes [1651] Leviathan Believed people were selfish and ambitious Needed government to control this tendency [absolute monarchy] Proposed the social contract: people agree to submit to a ruler to prevent disorder
page 23	Locke [1690] Two Treatises on Government Humans, by nature, had the right to life, liberty and property Government was formed to protect these natural rights Okay to overthrow a government that did not protect these Government power comes from people, not god   Voltaire [1700’s] proposed tolerance, freedom of religion, free speech   Rousseau [1762] believed the social contract to be a free agreement among free individuals to create a government that would respond to the people’s will. Government must come from the consent of the governed.   Montesquieu [1748]: Believed any person or group would try to increase their power Therefore, to keep government under control, liberty best safeguarded by separation of powers: (1) legislative makes laws (2) executive carries out the laws (3) judicial interprets
page 24	Democracy in America Enlightenment ideas affected the British colonists the colonists helped the British gain control of Americas from the French, then the British government increased the taxes and other controls over the colonists; the colonists protested the colonists organize and arm themselves against the British oppression. The American Revolution begins in April 1775 The Declaration of Independence issued July 4, 1776 British surrender in 1781 For several years, the new government was just a loose union&emdash; too weak to be effective
page 25	In 1787, a group of American leaders come together to find if it is possible to have a government that is strong and stable, but not tyrannical They seek to create a system where power and responsibility is balanced A representative government [indirect democracy] Federal system where powers are divided between a central and a state [local] government Separated powers into three branches, each with checks and balances over the other   French Revolution For most of the 1600 & 1700’s, the rule of the king, nobles and clergy was excessive and harsh Many of the French had been influenced by the Enlightenment and the American Revolution On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris storm the Bastille prison The fight for democratic freedoms and the French revolution had begun A new National Assembly formed and adopted the Declaration of the Rights of man and of the Citizen
page 26	The assembly set up many reforms, but these reforms were not accepted by the old powers Frances neighboring monarchy’s feared the spread of democratic ideas Terror and chaos reign, until, in 1799, Napoleon takes control and forms a dictatorship   United Nations [1945] formed to work to work towards world peace Creates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [1948] Sets global standards for basic social, political and economic rights
page 27	There is no guarantee that democracy can be achieved at a given place, in a given time. Once achieved, there is no guarantee that it will not be lost unless the people are constantly watchful!

¹ Beck, Roger B. et. al. Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction. 1999, McDougal Litton, A Houghton Mifflin Company.