System of Government

There are many different forms of government and they change over time.

Ancient Greece

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece#Society

The assembly of ancient Greece is one of the first known forms of Democratic government. Ecclesia or Ekklesia means “Greek assembly of a city state.” Its origins are from the Homeric Agora meaning “the meeting of people". The first known assembly was held as early as the reign of Draco in 621 B.C.

Democracy (according to http://dictionary.reference.com/) is:


1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
2. a state having such a form of government: The United States and Canada are democracies.
3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.
4. political or social equality; democratic spirit.
5. the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

The assembly was held in the Pnyx (which was on a hill west of the Acropolis). This meeting place was said to hold at most 6,000 Athenian men based on calculations done with the average size of an Athenian male. Assembly members meet four times every Prytany (about once a week). At each meeting of the assembly certain topics were discussed and voted on. The assembly would also gather in cases of emergency and in cases of trials of law in which the assembly became a jury.

Men were allowed to vote (no slaves, women or children were though) and the votes were cast by a large group.

Votes were taken by a tally of hands raised. After being tallied the majority decision ruled and carried. Although it was the first form of Democracy the only people allowed to vote in the assembly were free-born men. During the reign of Pericles (around the mid 400's B.C.) the assembly was given the sole power to veto or approve any and all matters concerning the Greek state.

http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/greecerome/Greecegovt1.html

Since city-states were separated from each other, each had its own government. When city-states were first formed, they were ruled by a few wealthy men. However, they moved toward democracy.

Their system of government changed to suit their societies needs.

Ancient Egypt

http://library.thinkquest.org/3011/egypt3.htm

Ancient Egyptian Government was dominated by a single man, the Pharaoh. The people believed that the king was more than a man, however, but that he was a god. This gave him absolute control over the affairs of the Empire and its people.

Government and it's power linked highly to religion and the power of the gods

Ancient Egypt was also a theocracy, controlled by the clergy. The Pharaoh¹s advisors and ministers were almost always priests, who were considered the only ones worthy and able to carry out the god-king¹s commands.

(According to http://dictionary.reference.com/) A theocracy is:

1. a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the God's or deity's laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.
2. a system of government by priests claiming a divine commission.
3. a commonwealth or state under such a form or system of government.

The governmental officials included the vizier, or the prime minister, the chief treasurer, the tax collector, the minister of public works, and the army commander. These officials were directly responsible to the Pharaoh. The land itself was divided up into provinces called nomes. Each nome had a governor, who was appointed by the Pharaoh, and responsible to the vizier.

Taxes were paid in goods and labor. Citizens were drafted into the army and forced labor for periods of time to pay what was called a corvée, the labor tax.

The majority of Egyptian people were peasants who worked the land along the fertile Nile flood basin. These people had no voice in their government, and accepted this fact because it was backed by their religion. This mingling of religion and government is probably what kept Egypt so powerful and centralized during its high points.

http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egypt-government.html

When it came to laws, many of them involved punishments to fit crimes. In a religious country, right and wrong were most likely clearly defined, and doing 'wrong' was not just a general bad idea, but it brought disgrace on one's entire family. Punishments for wrong doing were as lax as caning or as severe as dismemberment or various executions.

In the several thousand year span of Egyptian history, the general way of governing was quite consistent. Things only seemed to change in large ways when parts of Egypt were invaded, or someone chose to overthrow the government. Perhaps the mix of politics, religion and the belief that the pharaoh was infallible and a deity was what allowed Egypt to remain the powerful country that it was for such a long time.

More websites:

http://www.riverschool.org/students/work/culture.e.gov.htm

Britain/monarchy

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Monarchy

1. Government by a monarch.
2. A state ruled or headed by a monarch.

A system of government in which one person reigns, usually a king or queen. The authority, or crown, in a monarchy is generally inherited. The ruler, or monarch, is often only the head of state, not the head of government. Many monarchies, such as Britain and Denmark, are actually governed by parliaments. (See absolute monarchy and constitutional monarchy.)

Other references:

http://bhc.britaus.net/About_the_UK/aboutukdefault.asp?id=71
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page5.asp
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_monarchy