Origins of Democracy Project

Basic premises

In the 18th and 19th centuries, working people, philosophers, and radical intellectuals attempted to draw upon the historical and scientific knowledge of their day to form the rational basis of a more egalitarian and libertarian society in the future. The Origins of Democracy Project starts from the premise that two primary revolutionary 'schools' emerged from this period of political experimentation and the post industrial incarnation of socialism in the First International, namely Marxism and anarchism. Of the two, the Origins of Democracy Project rejects Marxism as a catastrophically counterproductive doctrine, based on a stunted analysis. The Origins of Democracy Project draws upon anarchism (in a very broad sense) and the libertarian socialist tradition as its foundation.

A second major premise is that whereas the 19th century was largely a time of political thought, and the 20th century was largely a time of political action, that cycle of action has now played itself out, mostly to the detriment of working people. Therefore now in the 21st century it is time to "go back to the drawing board" and think a little more, specifically in the light of the many profound advances in scientific and historical knowledge since the 19th century. The time has come to update the outdated analysis which still largely remains the basis of modern ‘progressive’ political doctrine.

The third major organizing premise is that any new analysis should be founded in concrete reality, should be rational, and should be accessible and understandable to ordinary people, as opposed to the (arguably) endless, highly technical, overly intellectualized, quasi theological debates which take place among today's leftist (and 'post leftist') intellectual elite. Unlike some very promising but ultimately doomed attempts at fresh analysis such as the Situationist movement of the 1960s, the Origins of Democracy Project rejects elitism, and is based on an open, democratic approach, advocating a sort of "open source" revolutionary analysis. Whereas elitism has proven to be the terminal sickness of many progressive efforts of the past, much as open source software becomes robust through exposure to public testing, the founders believe that the historical analysis produced under the Origins of Democracy Project will be strengthened by exposure to public criticism and challenge.

Liquid Modernity

Zygmunt Bauman, author of Liquid Modernity, wrote "In the case of an ailing social order, the absence of an adequate diagnosis... is a crucial, perhaps decisive part of the disease." The founders of the Origins of Democracy Project believe that understanding history is critical to grasping the circumstances of the modern world and coping with the exigencies of that world under the effects of Globalization. Further, they assert that false assumptions about the past and inaccurate historical beliefs form the very foundation for the status quo of the modern hyper consumerist society we live in.

The Origins of Democracy Project asserts that corporate marketing experts are in fact actively creating a highly distorted, quasi-historical mythology which serves the interests of that small segment of society which benefits from the status quo. The ultimate trend of these pressures is away from democracy and toward an Imperial hegemony. The purpose of the Origins of Democracy Project is to combat this by helping to create an accurate “diagnosis” of the ills of modern society.

Specific assertions

Specifically, the Origins of Democracy Project founders argue that the existence of successful democratic societies, and the methods by which they functioned, has been left out of popular history. Corporate Fairy tales and Monarchist propaganda such as the King Arthur ‘legends’ have supplanted real history in the popular imagination, and portrayals of historical events in modern media are rife with inaccurate and misleading premises. A second fundamental argument is that the role of women in history has been significantly distorted and downplayed, for purposes which again, suit the status quo. The proven existence of powerful women playing an active role in society as artists and artisans, thinkers, community leaders, and even warriors has been conspicuously left out of most modern depictions of history, whether in the form of entertainment or education (or the merger of the two which is becoming daily more pervasive). The artificial relegation of women to a secondary status historically is seen as a key factor in the undermining of democratic principles today.

Rome

A major focus point of analysis is ancient Rome, which is seen as a corellary to modern Western society. The Origins of Democracy Project seeks to analyze the sources of many of the ills of modern Western society in our strong links to Roman law, social mores and philosophical principles. One recent influence cited is Terry Jones recent book and BBC documentary “Barbarians”. In seeking to take a second look at the so-called ‘Barbarians’ vis a vis the Romans, the OODP traces the origins of good and bad western traditions which come down to us from each respective source. The ancient Celts, Dacians, and Germanic tribes and Vikings especially are given a close look.

Other current areas of interest include the Scythians, the Helenic era Republic of Rhodes, the Vikings, the Brehon Laws of Dark Ages Ireland, the social and political organization of early Medieval Brittany, the Helvetic or Old Swiss Confederacy of the late medieval period (and to a lesser extent, copycat mercenary groups consciously based on the Swiss social model including the Landsknechts of the Holy Roman Empire), the free cities of Medieval Europe, the Albigensiens or Cathars of Southern France, Hussites of Bohemia, the pirates of the 18th and 19th century, and the Native American tribes of North America in the 16th through 19th centuries.

Historical Anarchist Commmunities

http://en. .org/wiki/List_of_anarchist_communities

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