Politics in History

Well, the mid-term elections are finally over and all I can say is that I'm relieved. All the mud slinging and name calling just bores me, and frankly, obscures the real issues. But, I am very glad to have contributed to the historical power switch in this country.

Don't worry, this isn't going to be a soapbox for my political views. I'd need to start a whole new blog for that...

But there are some fascinating things about voting and politics that have occurred in world history, which is really why I'm writing this entry.

Take Rome for instance, and you'll see that political advertising is not a 'modern' thing. Scribbled on a Pompeiian wall around 79 A.D. were the words "I ask you to elect Gaius Julius Polybius... he gets good bread." Now, that is a platform I can support!

Unlike primogeniture (when the title of King is passed through inheritance) there was another way of choosing the King, called an 'elective monarchy.' One of the most well of these is during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, when in 1573, Henri of Valois became the elected King. After serving for only four months, he left for France (where his brother had just died) and assumed that throne as Henry III.

Other historical examples of elective monarchy include Ireland, Anglo-Saxon England, Visigothic Spain and medieval Scandinavia.

In United States history, an attempt was made by Alexander Hamilton to convince the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that the President should be an elected monarch, with a life term unless he was impeached for bad behavior.

Can you imagine how different US history would be if Hamilton's idea were favored instead of the four year term? And it's really too bad none of our founding fathers wanted this country to have a Thing instead of our current judicial system.

And last but not least, there's the Politics of Dancing....



Huzzah for roller skates and mullets!! Now THAT is a good political slogan! Oh, pardon me. My 80's are showing again...