Lord of the Flies Project
Joseph Gabster
Types of Government
Definitions of Governments:
Monarchy - Government by a single ruler (king/queen, emperor)
Aristocracy - Government by noblemen (hereditary)
Oligarchy - Government by few persons
Theocracy - "Government by God" (in reality this means government by religious leaders)
Dictatorship - Government by people, that have seized power by force (often: military dictatorship)
(Democracy)
Ralph's group can be seen as a democracy based on the way he lead the giant group at the beginning and then his own little group when Jack splits off. Jack listens to what the people in the group want and makes decisions based on their beliefs, not necessarily his own. Many democracies in the world are a republic with leaders being elected but there are also constitutional monarchies where there is a king or queen. A constitutional monarchy still guarantees basic human rights to all people, with the king or queen as a "stabilizing" factor (Democracy). We can see Ralph representing democracy when in chapter one he is talking to Piggy, "Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing into the lagoon. Something creamy lay among the ferny weeds," Piggy states, "A stone," and Ralph replies, "No. A shell." Ralph shows the beginning of his understanding that the conch can be used to organize a group to vote and make decisions.
Government for My Society
My Constitution
2. Crimes that do not threaten the lives or well being of the citizens will be sent off from the community for the second offense, while the first offense will require hard labor by the actor deemed fit by the set council.
3. Any disputes between members of the society will be settled by those members in a duel to determine the winner.
4. Debt is not allowed to be accumulated by the government nor the people living under the government.
5. A person may kill anyone entering or breaking into their home if they feel threatened or their family feels threatened.
6. Every member must serve in the military for at least 2 years whether direct combat is needed or not.
7. Every member has the right to express their own opinion as long as it does not put down other members of the society or cause destruction throughout.
8. All members of the society are permitted to openly carry handguns and certain rifles for daily activities.
9. The Government will not be permitted to give handouts to any members of the society, they must be able to support themselves or they will be exiled from the society.
10. The set council will determine any other ruling not deemed within this constitution.
11. If the previous set of rules are not followed accordingly, then that individual will be exiled from the community and never be allowed to return.
Historical Example
The American Civil War occurred over the years of 1861 to 1865 and was between the North (Union) and the South (Confederacy) within the United States. This war stated because of seven southern states succeeding from the U.S. when President Lincoln vowed to keep slavery out of all the territories. The north did not want to accept the succession of the seven former states. It was on April 12th, 1861 that the war officially started at Fort Sumter with the Confederate Army firing on the Union, who had to lower the American Flag in surrender of the fort. The Civil War was a very bloody war that cost 2% of the population their lives at over 620,000 people, which is the equivalent of 6 million people today. One in four people that went to fight in the war, never returned to their families. There was also a lot of land destroyed because of battles and and destruction brought on by the opposition and lead to large costs in rebuilding the nation. The war ended in the spring of 1865 due to the surrender of the Confederate Armies and the capturing of the Confederate President Jefferson Davis (Council).
Current Political Conflict
Syrian Civil War:
The Syrian Civil War has been an ongoing conflict since 2011, and continues to rage in the country. The conflict is between the Syrian Ba'ath Family, who has been the leader of the country since 1971, and the people who want to get rid of the family's power. The war between the two is a mess taking place all over the country "with no primary fronts and a figurative war between the Syrian Army against the peaceful demonstrators turned armed oppositions of a psychologically disturbed Syria," (Top 10). The Syrian Civil War started with peaceful protesters until the security with the protesters opened fire, killing some protesters. Syrian rebels then took arms, first to defend themselves, but then began to attack. Since the war has started, the Islamic State has also made its way into Syria, using the destruction of the country for terror attacks. The rebels of Syria want new control of the Nation, while the existing government is just trying to hold them off (Syria).
Works Cited
"Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015."
"Democracy." A Short Definition of. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
"Direct Democracy." Direct Democracy. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015."
"Syria: The Story of the Conflict." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015."
"Top 10 Biggest Civil Wars of All times." Top 10 Outstanding List. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr.
2015."