Government Types Suggesting Freedom
A democracy is a government type in which all eligible people of the state are allowed to vote, and have a say in government matters. The Greeks said that their democracy way of government helped protect the rights of “everybody”, and therefore, it was freedom. But by “everybody”, they meant the free men. As stated in the Athenian Constitution, men had to be voted into the office of a free man, and the vote wasn’t always a fair vote, skewing the rest of their life. Women, servants, slaves, and children had no rights. Obviously, this isn’t freedom for everybody. Some may argue that this is a true democracy because you still get a say in politics, and therefore, gives rights and freedom to all the members of the state. But when 12% of the Greeks are voting, tell me how that is freedom. Just because it’s a democracy, doesn’t mean it’s freedom.
Freedom Issues in French Revolution
Greeks weren’t the only societies using freedom as an excuse for bad government decisions. During the French revolution, many different government types happened such as monarchy, dictatorship, republic. The whole reason why they had this cycle of government switches was because each ruler had a different idea of freedom, and within their different ideas, all of them had themselves in the picture. The main rulers of the french revolution were Robespierre, Napoleon, King Louis XVI, and a group of constitutional monarchists. King Louis XVI, was the first ruler of France in this equation. He was a man who mostly feared for himself, and didn’t notice the people’s freedom unless it affected his own. Because he was such a fearful man, he got a bunch of his friends together, and started a counsel. This made a lot of the lower classes feel left out, and like they didn’t have a say in politics. Soon, a group was formed, they called themselves constitutional monarchists. They made an oath to get a constitution for France, and they weren’t big fans of the king. The king soon fell, and France fell into chaos until one man would save the day.
Robespierre believed in a republic government type. And what do you know, his idea of freedom was different from the kings, but still had one common factor, himself. Robespierre thought that anything remotely close to the king’s rule was not in any way happiness or freedom. So the Reign of Terror began. Robespierre got rid of anything that brought back the old ways. Religion, lifestyle, and France altogether was changed, and public executions happened daily. Robespierre was arrested, and after trying to commit suicide, and was killed at the very guillotine that he had used to kill so many others.
Napoleon’s Doctatorship
Eventually, Napoleon stepped into the picture, leading France into a dictatorship. Napoleon believed that he could be the one to help save France from the state it had been in. Once again, he thought that he was the bringer of freedom and that freedom could only be achieved under his circumstances. He was eventually shipped to an island where he would ever escape, and lead France back into trouble. At the end of all the slaughter, changing, and different government types, France went back to an absolute monarchy.
Emperor Mao and the Red Guard
After all the French had gone through, you would think that anything could be that bad, however as new ideas were formed, other countries once again defined freedom wrongly. Communism was a fire that spread quickly, all the way to China. One example of communism is Emperor Mao and the Red Guard. Emperor Mao used communism as an excuse to have the rising generation be good friends with him. How Mao abused freedom, like the Greeks, he only granted some people freedom, and like the french rulers, his motives were only himself. ccc If you were caught without a red book, or not quoting and reading on, it was a sign of divergence from the emperor. Propaganda was used to inspire the Red Guard, and help keep the adults in check. He was having his freedom at the expense of everyone else. While those who worked hard to earn a living and grow up, Mao invited those with less experience to be the leaders. He created the Redguard to do his dirty work, and eventually, turn on their parents. In this communist society, he was changing everything that had happened in the past, and was making his freedom possible at the expense of others.
Why Freedom Is Not Easy to Catch
In conclusion, and in plain sight, freedom is not easy to catch. Many governments have tried and failed to define freedom, through communism, monarchies, dictatorships, republics, and democracies. The truth is, the more we split up and divide ourselves from one another through government changes, the farther we will get from freedom. According to the Cambridge dictionary, “the condition or right of being able or allowed to do, say, think, etc. whatever you want to, without being controlled or limited” ” Freedom can’t be forced, it must be chosen by the people. Government can’t make this change come to pass, or the sand will just keep slipping through their fingers. People need to use the water to help weigh the sand down, and keep it from slipping out. In other words. A government needs people willing to have their freedom, and people need a government willing to give them their divine rights. There are many countries with freedom now, and they have some of the said government types. This proves that the government affects your freedom both positively and negatively. While it is true that governments can positively affect freedom, when they play with people’s rights it becomes a free government, not a free people.
