THEORIES OF CITIZENSHIP

Theories of Citizenship

Theories of Citizenship

One set of ideas and values defining the 'good citizen' has its origins in classical Greece in the period 500—300 BC. This is often called the civic republican tradition, which is also linked to an ideal of direct democracy in which all citizens take part in political decisions. There is a second set of ideas and values, which draws on ideas in Roman law developed in the Roman Empire from the 1st century AD, but was fully formulated in the 17th century in Europe. This is the liberal tradition, which is linked to the ideal of parliamentary democracy, in which citizens elect a representative to look after their interests. You should understand at the end of this week some of the key ideas of civic republicanism and of liberalism. Both civic republicanism and liberalism have influenced the development of Australian beliefs about democracy and what it has meant to be an Australian citizen. Earlier political and cultural ties to Great Britain, however, have meant, that liberalism has been more influential in shaping ideas about citizenship and political institutions. You will be able to trace the influence of both liberalism and republicanism in later weeks. This will occur, for example, in the debates about whether citizens have a duty to fight for their country in wartime.

The liberal view of citizenship stresses individual rights within a framework of the rule of law. The best form of government in liberal eyes has therefore been one in which individual rights are safeguarded by constitutional limits on government power. One well known way of restraining government is to ensure that there is a division of power between the executive (often the Prime Minister and other minsters of the government) and the legislature, or parliament which makes the laws. We will ...