Is it reasonable to claim that peaceful transfers of power began, globally, in the United States?
score:6
I think this is probably one of those things that is technically "true" as long as you very carefully define your terms. (I have seen a similar claim made which focused on the election rather than the executive power). Some counterexamples - and arguments why they might not be counterexamples - just thinking about say post-1400. (I don't know the classical period well enough to comment there)
British elections during the 18th century certainly changed the power in the legislature and governed who would be prime minister - North's faction came into power in 1768, and Pitt's in 1784, but the key question is "executive". Executive power wouldn't pass completely to the prime minister and cabinet for a while yet - it was still partly in the hands of the Crown. They were undeniably peaceful, at least by 18th-century standards.
Electoral monarchies - where the Crown does not pass by hereditary succession but is selected by a group of nobles - had certainly been in existence for a long time, and while some bitter wars happened as a result of these, there were certainly cases where it happened peacefully. However, these usually followed the death of the first monarch, and so might not count as a "transfer".
A number of monarchs have voluntarily and peacefully abdicated during their lifetimes, meaning a peaceful transfer to a new executive, but these abdications usually involved power passing to someone selected, nominated, or approved by the outgoing monarch, and so would not count as "rival".
There is also a question of scale. This sort of transfer almost certainly happened in smaller polities which were controlled by oligarchies, like the various free cities of the Holy Roman Empire, the Italian city-states, etc - there was an executive leader or small council of leaders, which periodically changed hands between factions or families. In Venice, for example, the Doge and Council of Ten were both elected. Not all will have been peaceful, of course, but no doubt many were. However, you might choose to discount these as they were "not countries" - although in the case of Venice, for example, that is certainly a bit shaky. Where oligarchic groups are involved, it might also be tricky to identify a single point where power was transferred.
So you can come up with reasons why any historical counterexample might not count for the question as defined. I suspect this shows up that it's not a very meaningful statement...
More post
- 📝 Why didn’t Japan attack the West Coast of the United States during World War II?
- 📝 Marbury vs Madison, what about other midnight judges?
- 📝 Has bad government interventions in the economy ever resulted in unexpectedly good outcomes for the industry?
- 📝 When was the idea of a unified India conceived?
- 📝 What's the significance of "Splashware"?
- 📝 Why did Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Breznev wear military uniforms when Lenin and the later Soviet leaders did not?
- 📝 Where did the term "Middle Ages" come from?
- 📝 What was the real innovation of the coach-builders of Kocs in Hungary?
- 📝 How harmful was the Tea Act of 1773 to the American colonies?
- 📝 What are the "ancient liberties" of the City of London?
- 📝 What expenses did a village have?
- 📝 Did America help the Chinese nationalists to repel the communist advance?
- 📝 Were officers allowed to resign during the American Civil War?
- 📝 Which arm was the shield held in?
- 📝 What do we mean when we say history is a science?
- 📝 What were the international space arrangements and scientific purposes Eisenhower spoke of in October 1957?
- 📝 Roman Empire Netflix Map
- 📝 Why were 70 foreign women brought to Userkaf?
- 📝 What was the military background of the Irish company at the Siege of Jadotville?
- 📝 What was this a buckle for?
- 📝 How were the prophecies of Biblical prophets such as Isaiah first published or disseminated?
- 📝 Who was the first US president to graduate from a public university?
- 📝 Why was the capital of Poland moved from Krakow to Warsaw in 1595?
- 📝 How can I understand the effect of the Sonderweg on the Revolution of 1848?
- 📝 Does the Catholic church have a long history of child abuse, or is it something that started in our time?
- 📝 Why did Spain not participate in World War I?
- 📝 How long did it take to make a 16th century arrow?
- 📝 What was World War 1 called before World War 2?
- 📝 Why couldn't Japan crack the Navajo Code in WW2, when they captured a Navajo native speaker?
- 📝 What were the American-equipped armies of Nationalist China equipped with?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Is it reasonable to claim that peaceful transfers of power began, globally, in the United States?
- 📝 Is the claim that Hitler came to power democratically justified?
- 📝 Is there any evidence to support the claim that the United States was "suckered into WW1" by Zionists, made by Benjamin Freedman in his 1961 speech?
- 📝 What is the evidence to claim that political order in ancient Rome was sufficiently different under "kingdom", "republic" and "empire"?
- 📝 What is the historical basis for the claim that "Taiwan has always been part of China"?
- 📝 Is there any evidence to support the claim that the US Strategic Defense Initiative played any significant role in undermining the USSR?
- 📝 Has a foreign power ever sought to compel another country to abide by international law by means of that country's internal judiciary?
- 📝 What does it mean that the early supreme court "gave themselves" the power of judicial review?
- 📝 Is there any truth to the claim that freed slaves who moved to Liberia enslaved the local population?
- 📝 Are there any historical sources that support the claim that ancient high-speed archers held multiple arrows in their hand?
- 📝 Did Sir Isaac Newton ever claim that his mind in 1666 was "remarkably fit for invention"?
- 📝 Which 'evidence' is there for a claim that 'Chinese discovered America in 636'?
- 📝 What is the historical evidence behind the claim that the Soviet armies perpetrated mass rapes during their stay in Germany?
- 📝 When did Lincoln claim that "Vicksburg is the key" to winning the civil war?
- 📝 How can we be sure that a certain historical claim is true and accurate?
- 📝 What evidence supports the claim that Shivaji's father was Muslim?
- 📝 Is there any evidence to support the claim that Richard Burton told John Speke he would return home via Jerusalem after their Nile Quest?
- 📝 Is there any evidence to corroborate the claim that Rudolf Höss was physically abused by the Allies after his capture?
- 📝 What is the source of the claim that Enigma codebreaking efforts shortened the Second World War by years and saved millions of lives?
- 📝 Why does Retsö claim that only members/clients of Arabian tribes were considered "real Muslims" in the Umayyad Caliphate before 750?
- 📝 What is wrong with Russian claim that 7 million people starved to death in the Great Depression in the USA?
- 📝 Is there any data that supports or refutes the claim made in this paper about the Harappan/Indus Valley civilization?
- 📝 Has there ever been a great power that offered a major concession to a non-great power from a position of strength?
- 📝 Did Nazi propaganda really claim that England imposed the war on Germany?
- 📝 Is there any valid basis for this claim that German Emperor Wilhelm II and the Hohenzollern family had Jewish blood?
- 📝 What is a term for cultural and social influences left by colonial power that has a long-lasting, negative influence?
- 📝 Did monotheistic religions play a role in shaping the belief that political power should be in the hands of an all powerful monarch?
- 📝 When did people decide that all caps means the writer is shouting?
- 📝 Do historians agree that most wars are caused by religion?
- 📝 Did Adolf Hitler ever address the fact that his own appearance was almost an exact opposite of what he considered the ideal Aryan appearance?