Allotment facts for kids
Allotment, also known as sortition, is a way of choosing people randomly. It is like a lottery, where everyone has an equal chance to be picked. For example, it could involve drawing colored pebbles from a bag.
In the democracy of Athens in Ancient Greece, sortition was the main method for choosing government officials. People in Athens thought this method was one of the most important parts of their democracy.
The famous Greek thinker Aristotle believed that equality and democracy were closely linked. He wrote:
"Democracy arose from the idea that those who are equal in any respect are equal absolutely. All are alike free, therefore they claim that all are free absolutely... The next is when the democrats, on the grounds that they are all equal, claim equal participation in everything."
This means that in a democracy, if people are equal in some ways, they should be equal in all ways. They should also have an equal chance to take part in everything.
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How Allotment Works
Allotment ensures fairness by removing personal choices. It means that people are chosen by chance, not by popularity or wealth. This helps prevent corruption and makes sure many different citizens can serve.
Why Use Allotment?
- Fairness: Everyone has an equal opportunity to be selected.
- Preventing Bias: It reduces the chance of favoritism or unfair choices.
- Citizen Participation: More ordinary citizens get a chance to be involved in government.
- Reducing Corruption: It makes it harder for powerful groups to control who gets chosen.
Historical Examples of Allotment
Allotment has been used in different ways throughout history. It was a popular method in ancient times and in some medieval cities.
Ancient Athens
The democracy in Athens used sortition a lot. Almost all government jobs were filled by lottery, not by elections. This meant that many different citizens had a chance to serve their city. They believed this made their government truly democratic.
Medieval Republics
- The Doge of Venice: The leader of Venice, called the Doge, was chosen using a very long process. This process mixed rounds of random selection (sortition) with voting (election). This complex system was designed to prevent any single family or group from gaining too much power.
- Florence and other Italian cities: In the medieval period, the government councils of cities like Florence were also chosen by lot. This helped ensure that different citizens could take part in leading the city.
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