Legacy

There is no doubt that Democracy is Ancient Greece's single greatest legacy. It is a system that we take for granted in this country and it may surprise you that throughout much of the world, many are fighting for a value that we believe is a basic human right.

See if you can make sense of the below diagram:

You may also be surprised at how recently in our country basic democratic rights was still a contentious issue to a section of our population.

You may be surprised just how much of the World is fighting for the freedoms of Democracy.

Here are some headlines from 'The Age' on countries around the world struggling to maintain or even establish a democratic society:

TASK

For this task you are to pick a country that is experiencing troubles in creating a Democratic society. There have been many in recent times, notably from the Middle East. These include Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Beirut and Syria.

There are also countries around the world that have in recent times experienced Democracy (or some elements of it) for the first time in many decades.. These include Myanmar, East Timor and South Sudan.

However there are also people that do not get to fully enjoy the freedoms that Democracy bring. These countries include China, North Korea as well various countries in Africa including, ironically enough, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Once you have selected your country you are to conduct some research of that country in relation to the problems that country's society is having. Use World Bank and the BBC News websites as guides for finding out information on your country. Do this task in pairs to make it easier. We will then come together and share what we've discovered and from this form an understanding of how precious Democracy really is.