In my Academy Professor research project, I am studying 17th century notions of democracy. Most political thought from that period naturally saw democracy solely in negative terms. Historians who have earlier researched democracy in the 17th century have primarily focused on the Levellers political movement, which arose at the time of the English Civil War. Some of its supporters pressed for almost universal suffrage for men. Of course, this seems to anticipate the democratic notions of our own time, although no leveller actually used the word democracy.

In my own research, I focus on those who used the word democracy in a positive sense. This occurred after the beheading of Charles I in January 1649. In addition to expanding suffrage, they also took their role models directly from Classical democracy. In particular, they emphasised the ways the nation could control decision-makers: the ostracisms of Athens (a meeting of citizens would sentence those seen as a threat to democracy to exile), Rome’s Tribune of the Plebs and more generally the idea that normal citizens could accuse and even sentence decision-makers for their actions.

The nature of our own political system is the sum of many historical developments and coincidences. By studying not only how modern democracy has formed and developed but also forgotten notions of democracy, we can consider and reflect on our own political system from a new perspective.

Kun demokratia syntyi (‘When democracy was born’) (University of Helsinki online news June 13, 2013)