(no subject)

[tinyjo]

Alex and I were discussing something only tangentially related recently when I realised that the UK is the only country I can think of which has kind of evolved a democracy in a fairly undramatic and very gradual fashion. All the other countries about who's governmental history I know have either started as more or less democracies (e.g. America), had revolutions (e.g. France) or been pushed into it by other powers (e.g. India). I'm sure there must be others though - some of the Nordic states perhaps? Enlighten me, friends list.

Comments

[badasstronaut.livejournal.com]

All the other countries about who's governmental history I know have either started as more or less democracies (e.g. America)

I'm not sure if you can assume colonised countries 'started' that way, it's more a case that the colonisers brought in and imposed governmental styles similar to the ones they'd had previously.

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

I suppose when I'm thinking about countries like America and Australia I tend to see the colonisation as the start of a new country/culture which overrides or destroys the existing one so I think of them as "starting" from colonisation. I agree that that's not necessarily accurate though - just trying analyze my thought process there.

[badasstronaut.livejournal.com]

Sure. It's probably less of an issue when you don't live in one, but when you grow up in a colonised nation, even suggesting that it began at the time of colonising is likely to get you in all kinds of strife. And in NZ at least, indigenous culture and society has undergone a rennaisance, and it's pretty much recognised now that the overall social infrastructure must become bicultural.