User:Maxwahrhaftig/My sandbox

Citizens on Planet Earth have had a difficult time governing themselves over all of the millennia that this small planet has had intelligent citizens. There were some particularly disastrous detours in their 20th century. But now as they enter what they call their 3rd millennium they seem to be making progress in the ways of democracy.

It is worth taking a few moments to sketch the history of governments and the birth pains of democracy on Planet Earth.

In the early days of Homo sapiens, earthlings lived in small tribes of a few hundred people at most. They had tools. They had fire. They had language. They did not have agriculture or animal husbandry or writing.

Food and shelter were scarce. Competition with other animals -- especially other human tribes -- was often severe. To survive they had a kind of rough and ready direct democracy. There were tribal elders or chiefs but everyone knew everyone else and everyone was roughly equal. Equally poor in what they could command of energy and material resources.