UCSD Chinese Studies specialist Karl Gerth describes how the standard view that “America is democratic and China isn’t”, while hardly entirely incorrect, doesn’t really bear up under careful scrutiny.

Political theorist John Dunn (Cambridge) describes how the development of Indian democracy has weakened the caste system.

Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) argues that the success of classical Athenian democracy was consistently challenged by aristocratic elites such as Plato or Aristotle.

Chinese Studies specialist Karl Gerth (UCSD) examines the subtleties involved in what it means to be a democracy.

Political theorist John Dunn (Cambridge) describes how democracy originated as a political idea in contrast to monarchy and aristocracy.

Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) describes his belief that classical Athens is a counter-example to the so-called “Iron Law of Oligarchy”.

You will evaluate the impact of Greek and Roman culture.

Duties of the Legislative Branch discusses the structure and responsibilities of the legislative branch of government.

Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) highlights the importance of dignity for a well-functioning democracy.

Political theorist John Dunn (Cambridge) contrasts the societal advantages of representative democracy with unpredictable revolutions.

A pure democracy is one where all the citizens of a country take part in the process of making the laws that govern their nation. All these citizens have equal voting rights and, thereby, equal representation at the national level. The...

In this video, John Dunn from Cambridge University delves into the etymology of the word democracy, highlighting its evolution and historical significance. By tracing the word's origins and changes over time, Dunn emphasizes the contrast...

Historian David Armitage, University of Harvard, relates how examining the historical evolution of key terms and phrases can uncover the many sedimented meanings associated with them, thereby pointing the way to deeper historical...

Political scientist John Dunn, University of Cambridge, points out that in many ways democracy, civil liberties and capitalism actually oppose one another rather than reinforce each other, as many naively believe.

Renowned political theory professor John Dunn challenges the common American belief that the United States was founded as a democracy, asserting that the Founding Fathers were skeptical of democracy as a form of government. He argues...

Political scientist John Dunn, University of Cambridge, describes how the typical American view of democracy is incorrect, describing how America’s Founders were generally extremely sceptical of the idea of a democratic republic.

Classical scholar Richard Janko, University of Michigan, describes his conviction that the famous trial of Socrates in 399 BCE was hardly a unique event in Classical Athens, but rather one in a series of battles between religious...

Stanford University classicist and political scientist Josiah Ober describes his motivation to use Classical Athens as a counterexample to Robert Michels’ theory of “the iron law of oligarchy” of political organisation.

Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) discusses how ancient Athenian democracy has long struck him as an obviously important counterexample to Robert Michel's so-called "Iron Law of Democracy."

Learn all about the history and fact about the Statue of Liberty monument, with this fun educational music video brought to you by KLT Inc. Don't forget to sing along!

Greek Roots explores how to determine the meaning of unfamiliar complex words by using knowledge of Greek roots.

This is a short video about ancient Greek Civilization.

Direct and Representative Democracies analyzes the purposes, structure, and functions of various types of direct and representative democracies.

Beginning of American Democracy” describes how democracy developed in the United States, exploring the events that occurred during the Revolutionary War between 1774 and 1776.