The History of Presidential Elections

November, a month of 2020 that is quite crucial not only to us NIS students that ballot for the election, but to the USA as well. And everyone in the world is arguing whether Trump or Biden is worthy of being president. Let’s go through a brief history of Presidential Elections, shall we?

Although elections were used in ancient Athens, in Rome, and in the selection of popes and Holy Roman emperors, the origins of elections in the contemporary world lie in the gradual emergence of representative government in Europe and North America beginning in the 17th century. In Vedic period of India, the chiefs of a tribal organization were elected by the tribe.

The first recorded popular elections of officials by majority vote, where all citizens were eligible to vote and to hold public office, date back to the Ephors in 754 B.C., under the mixed government of the Spartan Constitution. In Central Asia, a group of wise men (bi) discussed which heir was most worthy to rule the nation, and “voted” for who they support.

Elections also reinforce the stability and legitimacy of the political community. Like national holidays commemorating common experiences, elections link citizens to each other and thereby confirm the viability of the polity. As a result, elections help to facilitate social and political integration.

Whatever the peculiar national, regional, or local variations, elections are events that, by arousing emotions and channeling them toward collective symbols, break the monotony of daily life and focus attention on the common fate.

Learning about different countries, seeing differences in political systems and comparing them is fascinating!

Author: Meiram Gaukhar

NIS Press — это школьная газета НИШ ФМН г. Алматы, Казахстан. Данная статья была опубликована в выпуске газеты 2-недели Ноября 2020 г.

Следите за новостями газеты в нашем Instagram-аккаунте. Также можете ознакомиться со всей информацией о газете в нашем Telegram-канале.
Все выпуски газеты доступны для скачивания в нашем Telegram-канале и через Google Диск.