PARLIAMENT GOVERNMENT Citation "A Short History of Parliamentary Government." A Short History of Parliamentary Government. Parliamentary Education Office, n.d. Web. 13 July 2016.
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An evidence shown that there is a citizen assemblies held in Mesopotamia.
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The ROMAN REPUBLIC, which was founded around 509 BC, was ruled by two elected Consuls, who acted on the advice of a Senatus or council of elders. The Senatus comprised 300 members drawn from wealthy and noble families. Laws were approved by various assemblies, who represented the nobles and common people. These assemblies did not initiate new laws, but only met to vote on legislation or elect officials.
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Around 500 BC the ANCIENT GREEKS established an Assembly, or Ecclesia, which convened on the Pnyx, a hill in central Athens, Greece. The Ecclesia met 40 times a year and was attended by male citizens over the age of 18. Decisions were taken by vote, which was conducted by a show of hands with the majority vote prevailing.
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In 1066 William the Conqueror invaded Britain in what is referred
to as the Norman Conquest. William ruled with the help of a much
smaller but permanent group of advisers known as the Curia Regis
(the King’s Council). It consisted of noblemen and church leaders
appointed by the King. They were not elected and so did not
formally represent anyone. -
June 1215, one month after the rebellion
started, King John was forced to sign the
Magna Carta or ‘Great Charter’. It limited
the King’s authority by establishing he was
subject to the law, not above it. The Magna
Carta also regulated feudal customs,
the operation of the justice system, and
formally recognised that the barons had a
right to be consulted and to advise the King
in the Great Council. -
In 1258 the barons forced the King to agree
to rule with the advice of a 15-member
baronial council, and to consult with
Parliament more regularly. They wanted
Parliament to meet three times a year and
to include 12 non-noble representatives
chosen from the counties. However, King
Henry did not honour the agreement, and
the opposing barons, led by Simon de
Montfort, went to war against him -
From 1327 the people’s representatives sat in Parliament
permanently . -
In 1332, this was referred to as the House of
Commons. The British Parliament now comprised three familiar
elements: the monarch, the House of Commons and the House of
Lords. However, it had no formal meeting schedule and continued
to be called at the request of the King. -
However, in 1341 the House of Commons began meeting independently, and it was after this that its power increased.One of the main functions of the Commons was to petition the King and the House of Lords to resolve local and national issues
through new laws. These petitions often formed the basis of bills
(proposed laws). -
In 1362, New law decrees Parliament must approve of all taxation.
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In 1376,Sir Peter de la Mare, a member of the House of Commons, is chosen by the Commons to act as its spokesman before
the King, making him the first unofficial Speaker. -
In 1377,Thomas Hungerford becomes the first official Speaker
of the House of Commons, responsible for running its
meetings and representing its views. -
In 1407, Proposals for taxation must be initiated by the Commons,
removing this power from the King. -
In 1414,Parliament agrees that no bill can become law without the consent of the House of Commons, nor can the King or the
House of Lords change the wording of any bills submitted
by the Commons without its assent. -
John Pym and four other members of the
Commons drafted the Grand Remonstrance,
a list of Parliament’s grievances. The
Remonstrance was passed by the
Commons in November 1641. It was the
first time the Parliament had so openly
challenged a monarch -
The Commons’ independence from the
monarch was strengthened further in
January 1642 when King Charles I entered
the Commons in a failed attempt to arrest
five members of parliament -
The monarchy was restored in 1660 but the
King and Parliament continued to clash -
. In 1689 King William and Queen Mary took
the throne and agreed to the Declaration of
Rights, which acknowledged Parliament’s
sovereignty, including its right to free
speech and to meet frequently. -
In 1789, the United States (US) has
been governed by Congress. In the US,
the people vote for the members of the
House of Representatives and the Senate,
and elect a President through an indirect
ballot system. This kind of government still continues today. -
In 1791
a second chamber of assembly was
established. While there have been
many changes to this model through
French history, there ultimately emerged
a Parliament consisting of the National Assembly and Senate -
From 1854 to 1951,the New Zealand
Parliament consisted of a Governor (or
Governor-General), an elected House of
Representatives and a Legislative Council
appointed by the government. -
Canada gained its own parliament in 1867,
after a history of both French and British
colonisation. The British monarch is still
the Canadian head of state, represented
by a Governor-General. Canada has a
bicameral parliament made up of a House
of Commons to which members are
elected, and a Senate to which members
are appointed by the Prime Minister -
The first federal elections for the new
Parliament, which consisted of 36
senators and 75 members of the House
of Representatives, were held on 29
and 30 March 1901. -
In 1948 the Parliament changed the way senators
are elected. Under the new voting method, known as proportional representation, seats in the Senate were to be awarded in proportion to the parties’ share of the vote. -
In 1951 the Legislative Council was abolished in New Zealand.
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Since 1952 India has had a president and a
bicameral parliament, meaning it consists of
two chambers. India’s houses of parliament
are the Lok Sabha (lower house) to which
members are directly elected and the Rajya
Sabha (upper house) to which members
are elected by the legislative assemblies
of India’s states. -
In 1789 the French formed a National
Assembly made up of members who
represented the French people. -
The Federation Chamber in 2012 is an extension
of the House of Representatives and operates in parallel to the
main chamber. It allows for two streams of business to be debated concurrently and for non-contentious bills (proposed laws) to proceed quickly through the House.
