On the way to democracy
According to the Constitution of 1997 Poland is a democratic state.
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles to which a state is governed.
Democracy has a long history – it originates from ancient Athens and lasts as a system until today.
You will find out how various constitutions regulated the democratic systems in different places and times.
You will be able to discuss various methods of applying democratic principles in practice.
You will be able to present the Polish contribution into the history of democratic system creation.
You will be able to explain the role of the constitution in a political system.
After reading the fragment of „The Peloponnesian War” of Thucydides, write down the principles of the Athenian democratic rule.
Pericles’ Praise of Athenian DemocracyOur form of does not imitateimitate the laws of neighboring states. On the contrary, we are rather a model to others. Our form of government is called a democracy because its administration is in the hands, not of a few, but of the whole people. In the settling of private disputes, everyone is equal before the law. Election to public office is made on the basis of ability, not on the basis of membership to a particular class. No man is kept out of public office by the obscurityobscurity of his social standingsocial standing because of his poverty, as long as he wishes to be of service to the state. And not only in our public life are we free and open, but a sense of freedom regulates our day‑to‑day life with each other. (...) In our private affairsprivate affairs, then, we are tolerant and avoid giving offense. But in public affairs, we take great care not to break law because of the deep respect we have for them. We give obedienceobedience to the men who hold public office from year to year. And we pay special regardpay special regard to those laws that are for the protection of the oppressed and to all the unwritten laws that we know bring disgracedisgrace upon the transgressortransgressor when they are broken.
Source: Pericles’ Praise of Athenian Democracy, [w:] Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, s. 2,37.
Democratic principles of governing the state were born in antiquity, but only in modern times they took forms that contemporary societies refer to. The First Republic of Poland (the so‑called Nobles’ DemocracyNobles’ Democracy), the parliamentary monarchy in England, the socio‑political thought of the Enlightenment are important stages in the shaping of democratic ideas as we know them today.
Follow the history of creation of the most important documents that became the foundations for modern democracy on the timeline.
Independence and constitutional acts
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson, in cooperation with, among others, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Referring to the principle of equality and freedom, the authors of the document justified the right to independence from the United Kingdom of thirteen colonies in North America.
The Declaration of Independence is for the Americans a symbol of freedom. Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemoratingcommemorating the adoption of the Declaration on July 4, 1776.
Constitution of the United States of America
The adoption of the Constitution was the culmination of the process of creating a new state – the United States of America. The Constitution is validvalid until today. It was supplementedsupplemented with 27 amendmentsamendments.
PreambleWe the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insureinsure domestic TranquilityTranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our PosterityPosterity, do ordainordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Source: Preamble, [w:] Constitution of the United States of America.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The Great French Revolution changed the face of France and Europe. It initiatedinitiated the creation of a new model of the state and nation. The events that took place on July 14, 1789 are considered to be the symbolic beginning of the revolution. The people of Paris conqueredconquered Bastille, a symbol of absolutism. One of the most important documents that emergedemerged during the revolution was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which is a collection of basic principles regardingregarding the organization of the state and society.
Constitution of 3 May 1791
The adoption of the Government Act (Constitution) was a great achievement of the Four‑Year Sejm (held from October 1788 to May 1792) and an attempt to build a modern state. Later, when Poland was no longer on the political map of Europe, the Constitution of 3 May became a symbol of the independence tradition of the Polish state. Read the preamble to the first Polish Constitution in your e‑textbook.
Some of the effects of overthrowing the communist regime were the ongoing legal changes in Poland. Finally, after years of deliberation, on April 2, 1997, the National Assembly passed a new constitution. Then, in the constitutional referendum, the citizens of Poland voted for the adoption of the Constitution. After the recognition of the validity of the referendum by the Supreme Court, the Constitution of the Republic of Poland was officially signed by President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.
Listen to the recordings and match the paragraphs you hear with the appropriate titles of the documents.
| Constitution of the United States of America | |
| Constitution of the Third Republic of Poland of 1997 | |
| Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen |
Zadanie posiada plik audio, który można odsłuchać w wersji online podręcznika.
Find expressions, which help explain what the role of the constitution in a democratic state is. Write down your thoughts in a form of short clues. Present your clues to the rest of the class.
Democracy is currently the most widespreadwidespread form of the political system in Europe. From 1989, Poland also joined the family of democratic states. The foundation of democracy in our country is the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. The Constitution is a superior law that protects the community of free and equal citizens.
Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise. Match the pairs: English and Polish words.
hańba, upamiętniać, poprawka, spokój, przestępca, posłuszeństwo, potomkowie, zapomnienie
| obscurity | |
| obedience | |
| disgrace | |
| transgressor | |
| to commemorate | |
| amendment | |
| tranquility | |
| posterity |
Keywords
constitution, preamble, Declaration of Independence, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, Great French Revolution, Constitution of 3 May, Constitution of the United States of America
Glossary
pochwała
naśladować
zapomnienie
pozycja społeczna
życie prywatne
posłuszeństwo
zwracać uwagę
hańba
przestępca
demokracja szlachecka
upamiętniać
ważna, aktualna, obowiązująca
uzupełniony
poprawka
zapewniać, ubezpieczać
spokój
potomkowie
wyświęcać
zainicjować, zapoczątkować
podbić, zdobyć
pojawić się
uważać
rozpowszechniony