Parliament
Triumvirates
During the English Revolution Parliament was formed to limit the power of the king. King James I and King Charles I thought that they had the divine of Kings and they fought with Parliament over who had power, which lead up to the English Civil War. The balance between Parliament and the King is a similar set up to how the legislative and judicial branch work with the president. Essentially the King still has power, but not absolute power. He has to work with Parliament to make decisions for the good of the country not just the good of the monarchy or nobles. Parliament helped the lower class a lot in the 1600’s because they took some power from the king. In many other countries today there is a king or president and a parliament to keep them in check and equalize power.
A triumvirate is a government system run by three people with equal power. The first triumvirate took place in 60 B.C. when Caesar joined forces with Crassus and Pompey. For the first time there was more than one leader and there was no dictatorship. Power was distributed evenly, and they each kept watch over their part, until Crassus was killed. The senate then voted between Pompey and Caesar over who should get total power, and they chose Pompey. Caesar refused this decision and took power. This Triumvirate did not work, but since then many more have been tried and proven to work. Triumvirates resemble the form of government we use today. We have three branches that have equal power that use checks and balances to make sure one doesn’t overtake. Many ideas that were established in ancient Rome are still used today but the triumvirate may be one of the most important because it is used in many government systems through out the modern world.
How have these points changed Europe society over time?
The Olympics
In ancient Greece, when they Olympics were formed, everything was focused on religion and the games changed that. In ancient Rome when Caesar was involved in the first triumvirate which changed the system of government forever. At this time everyone was Catholic, until Martin Luther changed that in the 1520’s. After his time there were many different kinds of Christians and the world was becoming adapted to them. When Parliament was created it was very different because for once the King did not have total power, he had to compromise. With every change the lower and middle class gained a little and the King and the nobility lost a little. When the 3rd estate formed the National Assembly the King had lost the right to make laws and the lower class controlled that. If you look at the Renaissance compared to the time of the French Revolution new religions were formed, the pope lost absolute power, the king lost power, parliament was instated and for the first time the lower class had a voice.
Lutheranism
The Olympics started in ancient Greece in 472 B.C. with a foot race honoring the Greek Gods. The winner of the event was considered God-like and gained fame and honor through out the country. Soon the Olympics spread from Athens to other parts of Greece like Sparta and the games became a national event. They occurred every four years and became the goal of all athletes to participate. The Olympics became popular very quickly and united the nation during the events, but not always in good ways. Many political fights and disputes broke out between people from different parts of the Greek World. In the long run the Olympics have expanded through out the world and united all the nations every four years for the games.
Lutheranism was the first Protestant religion to go against the Catholic Church and was formed in the 1520’s. Martin Luther, the creator of Lutheranism, was a monk and a professor at the University of Wittenberg in Germany and after his trip to Wittenberg he was very disappointed with the church. He went to pray, but instead saw people buying off their sins, the pope caring more about war than the church and Luther had to pay a fee to pray on the church steps. Martin Luther thought that the Catholic Church was not only corrupt, but the seven sacraments were too much to ask of people. Luther wrote down 95 things he found wrong with the church, the 95 theses, and posted them on the church doors. The pope did not like this and had Luther excommunicated, which gave him the determination he needed to found his own religion. The Lutheran church only had two sacraments and was a lot less corrupt so it gained supporters quickly. Martin Luther was the first person to stand up against the Catholic Church and provided an influence for all other Protestant churches to form. Many Churches nowadays are Protestant and there are many different varieties.
3rd Estate declared itself the National Assembly
In what ways do the turning points have relevance today?
On June 17, 1789 the Third Estate declared itself the National Assembly. The 3rd estate consisted of the farmers and peasants of France and took up the majority of the population. During the time of the French Revolution, the King and the Nobles (1st and 2nd estates) had power over France and would take advantage of the lower class. The 3rd estate went to Versailles to talk to King Louis XVI about voting and power, but he refused to see them. Instead of leaving, as Louis had hoped, the commoners went to meet on the Jeu de Paume, a tennis court and singed a petition to give the lower class rule over the laws. This was the first time in history that the lower class stood up for themselves and took control of what happened to them. An immediate consequence of this was the French Revolution. The peasants would not be controlled by the king anymore to they fought to over throw him. Today, all social classes are “equal” by law, even though some get better benefits than others. If the 3rd estate never stood up for what they believed in then the king would still have absolute rule and the majority of the country would still be suffering.
The Olympics changed Europe drastically because they united the nation of Greece, and eventually the world, to watch the games. They showed Nationalism through out Europe and it brought fame and fortune to the country that won. If Martin Luther did not stand up for what he believed in and created the first Protestant religion, Europe would not resemble what it is today. All of the Protestant religions that exist today through out Europe such as Anglicanism and Calvinism, and the pope would still have power over everything. Many of the turning points that I chose to focus on were about government and the way that they were run and the world would not be how it is today if they did not occur. Triumvirates provided the idea of a three-branch government to keep power equal and uncorrupt. With out it there would still be kings, dictators and other absolute rulers instead of a balanced and fair government. Parliament was instated to keep the King in check and limit his power, like a triumvirate, and we still use the same sort of system today. In England there is the Queen, Parliament and the Prime minister. They all keep one another in check and make decisions together to prevent an absolute monarchy. Lastly when the 3rd estate stood up for themselves they gave the lower and middle class a voice. If they didn’t make what they wanted happen then the leaders of the world and the wealthy would have complete power over everyone and there wouldn’t be equal opportunities.