Vox Latina Winter 2020 2115281 (1) | Page 13

Giving the people their power: It’s a democracy, right? The word democracy itself comes from the Greek words demos and kratos, which mean power and the people, respectively. It would be wise of you to give the people power in a government focused around participation of the people themselves. Figure out how you are going to involve the people in assemblies, voting, debates, etc. You need to determine how the people will be given their say in how the government and the state is run. You don’t want to do anything that will put you in a fight that you don’t have any chance of winning. If we return the example of the Athenians, we can look at their feud with the Persians. Sure, they did have a good result with the victory at Marathon, but Xerxes got his revenge for their actions. It would be smart for you to only pick fights with other civilizations that are a similar size and strength or smaller than your new democracy to ensure safety and prosperity. Picking your fights: Picking your time: If you’re going to start a democracy, you want to choose an opportune time to do so. If you’re starting a whole new civilization it won’t be as tricky, but if you’re changing to a democracy, timing is key. Take for example Cleisthenes. He waited until there was already massive economic and social reform to strike and it worked for him. So, take a minute to analyze what time will work best for you and your future democracy. Promoting freedom: To create a truly beautiful democracy, you need to let the people to express themselves not only politically, but also culturally. You need the culture to be developed and flourish among the people. Whether it be through theater, architecture, art, or games, you must help the beautiful social seed to grow into the great flower of passion and art. Being open to reform: Let’s be honest. Even with these tips, your democracy isn’t going to be perfect from the start. There’s always a little bit of trial and error and you must be cognizant of that fact. Once again, if you’re choosing democracy, you probably care about what your people have to say. If the majority wants change, you need to listen to avoid conflict and achieve prosperity.