The Best Way To Govern Dbq Analysis
The Best Way to Govern All eight documents describe the proper way for a ruler to govern their country, whether the power is held through religion, the power is shared by the people and the ruler has control of everything, or the ruler is responsible for the people and should govern with fairness. From the first document written in the 200’s BCE to the last document written in 1938, most sources agree with two main ways of governing a society; power should either be shared by the people and the ruler has control of everything, or the ruler has all of the power but is responsible for his people and should govern with fairness. In the first group (documents 1,2,8), it is clear that the power should be shared by the people and the ruler has
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control of everything. The second group (documents 6,7) say that religion is the key; the people should pray for the ruler, and they owe him their life. The final group (documents 3,4,5) say that the ruler is responsible for his people and should rule with fairness. With the first, second, and eighth documents, the views that the scholars have on how a government should be governed are clear: the ruler has control of everything and can do anything he wants, but at the same time, he also shares the power with the people, there are practically no laws that can protect you from the wrath of the ruler. The first document, written in c.550 CE, by Procopius as part of the official histories of Emperor Justinian’s reign, On the Wars, says “Whatever had before been forbidden by law he now introduced into the government...he had been given the robes of an Emperor on the condition he would turn everything topsy-turvy...whatever was beyond his power...he renamed after himself...he looked around for others; meanwhile throwing away the spoils of his previous robberies in subsides to barbarians...” This excerpt from Secret History (1) shows that the proper way to govern is for the ruler to have control of everything, while still sharing with his people. According to a speech given by Mao Zedong in 1938 (2), the people command the ruler; the power should be shared by the people, but the “gun” or the chief ruler should have the word at the end. With the political cartoon of Lenin (8), created in the 1920’s, shows Lenin with a brush sweeping out the old Russian autocracy and bringing in the new USSR, or the Soviet Union; where the name itself implies that while there is a person in charge, the people have the power to remove him if they don’t like him. Just like with Emperor Justinian, Lenin also took out a lot of the old Russian traditions and brought in a lot of changes, he even renamed the country!
In both Ashoka Maurya’s document and the Imperial Catechism (6 &7), religion should be the main focus, and the people should pray for their ruler; they owe him their life.
Ashoka’s document, written in the 200’s BCE says that all of the ruler’s men are his children, and what he desires for his own children, their welfare and happiness both in this world and in the next, he desires for his men too. Furthermore, he says that they should understand that the king will forgive those who can be forgiven, in exchange for increased religious participation; he wants them to practice more Dhamma so that they can attain the happiness that he wants to give them. The quote “I am telling you this so that I may discharge the debts I owe, and that in instructing you, that you may know that my vow and my promise will not be broken. Therefore acting in this way, you should perform your duties and assure the people that, “The king is like a father. He feels toward us as he feels towards himself. We are to him like his own children.”” shows that according to Ashoka, the proper way to govern a people is to focus them on religion; tell them that if they become more religious and do more good deeds, than they’ll will be happy and thus the ruler is considered more popular and has less of a chance of being overthrown; the people will believe that he does them justice because that’s what the religion says. The seventh document, the Imperial Catechism (1806) tells the people their duties as Christians towards their emperor, Napoleon I. According to this source, all Christians owe to the princes that govern them: love, respect, obedience, fidelity, military service, and the taxes for the preservation and defense of the empire and the throne. They also need to pray for him, the country, and their safety. In answer as to why they need to do all of that, the document says that it’s the will of God himself. “...God, who has created empires and distributes them according to his will, has, by
loading our emperor with gifts both in peace and in war, establishing him as our sovereign and made him the agent of his power and his image upon earth. To honor and serve our emperor is therefore to honor and serve God himself.” This excerpt shows that like Ashoka, whoever wrote this article too believes that the government should be centered of religion; that you aren’t paying taxes to the king to fill his pockets, but you are paying God for the continued protection of your king, yourself, and the country; so that you don’t just perish.
Finally, the third group (documents 3,4 & 5) have a blend of the other two views. They all say that the ruler is responsible for his people, and that he should govern with fairness; collect money not to fill his own pockets, but for the bettering of the state. Document three, an excerpt from Machiavelli’s famous The Prince (1513) says that the ruler must be fair and just. That he must always have a backup plan in case something goes awry; he should remain on friendly terms with the army in any given circumstance, so that the government can have it at their disposal if force is required. Machiavelli also says that all bad things must be done at once, while all good things must be done a bit by bit. “He who does otherwise,either from timidity or evil advice, is always compelled to keep the knife in his hand;.... For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer.” says that if, at a time, a citizen does not like something, the ruler can use the “knife” to punish or stop them. The fourth document goes hand in hand with Machiavelli. Taking root in Chinese Philosophy, the source says “When the ruler treats the elders with respect, then the people will be aroused toward toward filial piety. When the ruler treats the aged with respect, then the people will be aroused toward brotherly respect. When the ruler treats compassionately the young and the helpless, then the common people will not follow the opposite course. Therefore the ruler has a principle with which, as with a measuring square, he may regulate his conduct... Therefore the ruler will first be watchful over his own virtue...”. This quote goes hand in hand with the third document because they both say that the proper way to govern a people is to respect them. A ruler must take care of his people like he would himself and his property, and he must adjust his conduct according to the reaction of his people. The final document within the grouping, document five says that men, as nature made them, are free and independent. The only way to relieve him of that is for him to join forces with other men and create a community where they are safe, comfortable, and peaceable amongst one another. John Locke, the author of Two Treatises on Government, written in 1690, says that within a community, no one body should have all of the power; it should be a case of popular sovereignty, where the majority have a right to act and conclude the rest.
Unlike the other seven documents, the eighth document is the only document that is a Soviet political cartoon. And unlike the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, or 8th documents, the 5th document is the only one where there is nothing mentioned about religion. John Locke was an English philosopher and physicians, and one of the leading minds in the Enlightenment. His point of view is slightly different than the others’ because he considered a person capable of ruling himself, he didn’t need to have a king to tell what he could or couldn’t do. One of his major ideas was the idea that everyone had the right to life, liberty, and property; this method of thinking meant that he was less inclined to obey everything the king said, and more likely to follow his own free will. The political cartoon about Lenin on the other hand, is an example of Soviet propaganda, where the state tried to convince everyone that it’s time for the new; no more autocracy and imperialism, but now it’s time for Socialism; where everyone shares everything. It is the only document where there are almost no words, the only words being a small phrase at the bottom of the poster “Lenin, The New Brush that sweeps up.” and can be open for interpretation.
An additional document that might be useful is one about Peter the Great’s revolutionizing Russia to go with the first grouping. A document on Peter the Great’s revolutionizing Russia would be useful because it would give an insight as to how the people reacted to this time of change; transitioning from Mongol rule to being incorporated as one of the central powers of Europe, and also having contact with Europe once again. Since Peter the Great lived in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s, this article would give a point of view in one time period, and to have a more modern point of view, we have document 8, which shows Lenin’s revolutionizing of Russia, or as it was known from that point on until the late 20th century, the USSR.
In conclusion, there are two “best” ways of governing a country; either by the people sharing the power and having the ruler be in control of everything, or the ruler has all of the power but is responsible for his people and should govern with fairness. Group one says that the power should be distributed amongst the people and the ruler should have control of everything. Group two says that religion is key, that the people should pray for the ruler, and they owe him their life. The final group (documents 3,4,5) says that the ruler is responsible for his people and should rule with fairness. Another document that might be useful would be on Peter the Great’s Westernization of Russia because that document would give an insight as to how the people would react in a time period earlier than document 8’s political cartoon/ propaganda of Lenin.
control of everything. The second group (documents 6,7) say that religion is the key; the people should pray for the ruler, and they owe him their life. The final group (documents 3,4,5) say that the ruler is responsible for his people and should rule with fairness. With the first, second, and eighth documents, the views that the scholars have on how a government should be governed are clear: the ruler has control of everything and can do anything he wants, but at the same time, he also shares the power with the people, there are practically no laws that can protect you from the wrath of the ruler. The first document, written in c.550 CE, by Procopius as part of the official histories of Emperor Justinian’s reign, On the Wars, says “Whatever had before been forbidden by law he now introduced into the government...he had been given the robes of an Emperor on the condition he would turn everything topsy-turvy...whatever was beyond his power...he renamed after himself...he looked around for others; meanwhile throwing away the spoils of his previous robberies in subsides to barbarians...” This excerpt from Secret History (1) shows that the proper way to govern is for the ruler to have control of everything, while still sharing with his people. According to a speech given by Mao Zedong in 1938 (2), the people command the ruler; the power should be shared by the people, but the “gun” or the chief ruler should have the word at the end. With the political cartoon of Lenin (8), created in the 1920’s, shows Lenin with a brush sweeping out the old Russian autocracy and bringing in the new USSR, or the Soviet Union; where the name itself implies that while there is a person in charge, the people have the power to remove him if they don’t like him. Just like with Emperor Justinian, Lenin also took out a lot of the old Russian traditions and brought in a lot of changes, he even renamed the country!
In both Ashoka Maurya’s document and the Imperial Catechism (6 &7), religion should be the main focus, and the people should pray for their ruler; they owe him their life.
Ashoka’s document, written in the 200’s BCE says that all of the ruler’s men are his children, and what he desires for his own children, their welfare and happiness both in this world and in the next, he desires for his men too. Furthermore, he says that they should understand that the king will forgive those who can be forgiven, in exchange for increased religious participation; he wants them to practice more Dhamma so that they can attain the happiness that he wants to give them. The quote “I am telling you this so that I may discharge the debts I owe, and that in instructing you, that you may know that my vow and my promise will not be broken. Therefore acting in this way, you should perform your duties and assure the people that, “The king is like a father. He feels toward us as he feels towards himself. We are to him like his own children.”” shows that according to Ashoka, the proper way to govern a people is to focus them on religion; tell them that if they become more religious and do more good deeds, than they’ll will be happy and thus the ruler is considered more popular and has less of a chance of being overthrown; the people will believe that he does them justice because that’s what the religion says. The seventh document, the Imperial Catechism (1806) tells the people their duties as Christians towards their emperor, Napoleon I. According to this source, all Christians owe to the princes that govern them: love, respect, obedience, fidelity, military service, and the taxes for the preservation and defense of the empire and the throne. They also need to pray for him, the country, and their safety. In answer as to why they need to do all of that, the document says that it’s the will of God himself. “...God, who has created empires and distributes them according to his will, has, by
loading our emperor with gifts both in peace and in war, establishing him as our sovereign and made him the agent of his power and his image upon earth. To honor and serve our emperor is therefore to honor and serve God himself.” This excerpt shows that like Ashoka, whoever wrote this article too believes that the government should be centered of religion; that you aren’t paying taxes to the king to fill his pockets, but you are paying God for the continued protection of your king, yourself, and the country; so that you don’t just perish.
Finally, the third group (documents 3,4 & 5) have a blend of the other two views. They all say that the ruler is responsible for his people, and that he should govern with fairness; collect money not to fill his own pockets, but for the bettering of the state. Document three, an excerpt from Machiavelli’s famous The Prince (1513) says that the ruler must be fair and just. That he must always have a backup plan in case something goes awry; he should remain on friendly terms with the army in any given circumstance, so that the government can have it at their disposal if force is required. Machiavelli also says that all bad things must be done at once, while all good things must be done a bit by bit. “He who does otherwise,either from timidity or evil advice, is always compelled to keep the knife in his hand;.... For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer.” says that if, at a time, a citizen does not like something, the ruler can use the “knife” to punish or stop them. The fourth document goes hand in hand with Machiavelli. Taking root in Chinese Philosophy, the source says “When the ruler treats the elders with respect, then the people will be aroused toward toward filial piety. When the ruler treats the aged with respect, then the people will be aroused toward brotherly respect. When the ruler treats compassionately the young and the helpless, then the common people will not follow the opposite course. Therefore the ruler has a principle with which, as with a measuring square, he may regulate his conduct... Therefore the ruler will first be watchful over his own virtue...”. This quote goes hand in hand with the third document because they both say that the proper way to govern a people is to respect them. A ruler must take care of his people like he would himself and his property, and he must adjust his conduct according to the reaction of his people. The final document within the grouping, document five says that men, as nature made them, are free and independent. The only way to relieve him of that is for him to join forces with other men and create a community where they are safe, comfortable, and peaceable amongst one another. John Locke, the author of Two Treatises on Government, written in 1690, says that within a community, no one body should have all of the power; it should be a case of popular sovereignty, where the majority have a right to act and conclude the rest.
Unlike the other seven documents, the eighth document is the only document that is a Soviet political cartoon. And unlike the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, or 8th documents, the 5th document is the only one where there is nothing mentioned about religion. John Locke was an English philosopher and physicians, and one of the leading minds in the Enlightenment. His point of view is slightly different than the others’ because he considered a person capable of ruling himself, he didn’t need to have a king to tell what he could or couldn’t do. One of his major ideas was the idea that everyone had the right to life, liberty, and property; this method of thinking meant that he was less inclined to obey everything the king said, and more likely to follow his own free will. The political cartoon about Lenin on the other hand, is an example of Soviet propaganda, where the state tried to convince everyone that it’s time for the new; no more autocracy and imperialism, but now it’s time for Socialism; where everyone shares everything. It is the only document where there are almost no words, the only words being a small phrase at the bottom of the poster “Lenin, The New Brush that sweeps up.” and can be open for interpretation.
An additional document that might be useful is one about Peter the Great’s revolutionizing Russia to go with the first grouping. A document on Peter the Great’s revolutionizing Russia would be useful because it would give an insight as to how the people reacted to this time of change; transitioning from Mongol rule to being incorporated as one of the central powers of Europe, and also having contact with Europe once again. Since Peter the Great lived in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s, this article would give a point of view in one time period, and to have a more modern point of view, we have document 8, which shows Lenin’s revolutionizing of Russia, or as it was known from that point on until the late 20th century, the USSR.
In conclusion, there are two “best” ways of governing a country; either by the people sharing the power and having the ruler be in control of everything, or the ruler has all of the power but is responsible for his people and should govern with fairness. Group one says that the power should be distributed amongst the people and the ruler should have control of everything. Group two says that religion is key, that the people should pray for the ruler, and they owe him their life. The final group (documents 3,4,5) says that the ruler is responsible for his people and should rule with fairness. Another document that might be useful would be on Peter the Great’s Westernization of Russia because that document would give an insight as to how the people would react in a time period earlier than document 8’s political cartoon/ propaganda of Lenin.