4 ms·

By what measure was England the first liberal democratic country? There are earlier republics than England and earlier countries with election process than Engl

by Scea91 3y ago

By what measure was England the first liberal democratic country? There are earlier republics than England and earlier countries with election process than England?

riffic 3y ago
Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
- esafak 3y ago
  You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!
anigbrowl 3y ago
By the standards of the still glorious British Empire of course. Do other measures even exist?
notahacker 3y ago
England/Britain has considerably more continuity than most of the other contenders, though a lot depends on what you count as "democratic".
vlz 3y ago
Englands or later the UKs way towards democracy was quite gradual. But I think they were the first to kill their king „in the name of the people“ (1649) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_of_Charles_I https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_of_Charles_I And then not much later deposed another king in 1688. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Revolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Revolution While the country was not a republic right away these revolutionary events lead to a de facto rule by parliament and earlier I think than any other country I can think of (though how that parliament was voted for and who got to vote is another story)
- scarmig 3y ago
  There are many examples of countries run by a republic of the elites that predate modern England. Venice, Greece, various Indian city states. You can always draw distinctions between them, but they don't seem fundamental.
- nicole_express 3y ago
  > But I think they were the first to kill their king „in the name of the people“ (1649) I suppose Tarquinius Superbus was exiled instead of executed, but 509 BC (in the traditional chronology, anyway) for the overthrow of the Roman kingdom sounds a little earlier than 1649.

by Scea91 3y ago

By what measure was England the first liberal democratic country? There are earlier republics than England and earlier countries with election process than England?

riffic 3y ago

Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

esafak 3y ago
You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!

anigbrowl 3y ago

By the standards of the still glorious British Empire of course. Do other measures even exist?

notahacker 3y ago

England/Britain has considerably more continuity than most of the other contenders, though a lot depends on what you count as "democratic".

vlz 3y ago

Englands or later the UKs way towards democracy was quite gradual. But I think they were the first to kill their king „in the name of the people“ (1649) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_of_Charles_I https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_of_Charles_I And then not much later deposed another king in 1688. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Revolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Revolution While the country was not a republic right away these revolutionary events lead to a de facto rule by parliament and earlier I think than any other country I can think of (though how that parliament was voted for and who got to vote is another story)

scarmig 3y ago
There are many examples of countries run by a republic of the elites that predate modern England. Venice, Greece, various Indian city states. You can always draw distinctions between them, but they don't seem fundamental.
nicole_express 3y ago
> But I think they were the first to kill their king „in the name of the people“ (1649) I suppose Tarquinius Superbus was exiled instead of executed, but 509 BC (in the traditional chronology, anyway) for the overthrow of the Roman kingdom sounds a little earlier than 1649.