This term was first introduced by an outstandingAmerican scientist - historian and ethnographer Lewis Morgan in the work "Ancient Society" to characterize the ancient Greek society in the transitional period from the primitive communal system to the state, and was adopted by K. Marx and F. Engels. Marx believed that what the Greek writers call the Homeric or royal authority, since its main feature is the military leadership, can be called a military democracy, if you add to it the council of leaders and the national assembly.
Military democracy as perfectly right onour view, he believed, and F. Engels, should unite together three obligatory elements - a military leader who can be endowed with more judicial powers, but should not have administrative, people's assembly and council of leaders. The views of F. Engels are close to modern ideas about the democratic structure of society and the separation of powers. This, as we would say now, is the three independent branches of government that constitute the essence of the concept of democracy.
People's Assembly, every member of whichat the same time, he was a warrior, a militiaman, an equally important and necessary authority as the council of leaders and, in fact, the leader himself. Regardless of what political line the assembly adhered to, whether it was just a tool in the hands of the nobility or, as it often happened, it was out of control of the authorities, no one (neither the military leader nor the council of leaders) had any means violence or coercion against him, except for the traditions, customs, personal authority of ordinary people.
So we found out that the military democracy - this the social structure of the transition period from the primitive communal system to the state.
It can be assumed that it falls on thatperiod of history, when the ancient ancestral organization is still in sufficient strength, but at the same time, property stratification already appears, the royal power is born, and it becomes commonplace to become slaves of prisoners of war.
The leaders of the Achaean tribes, as shown in one ofthe stories of Homer, have repeatedly boasted of their wealth, especially herds of domesticated animals, and their origins. They reluctantly talk about the people, and if they do, they speak with contempt, but the words of Odysseus that he was elected from the Cretans to go to Ilion with ships, and that it was impossible to refuse, since they were elected by the people’s power, they talk about that the national assembly had sufficient strength and authority.
Military democracy is distinguished by the presence of a largediversity of types and forms of its manifestation. In one case, it is in a certain dependence on the policy unit, as it was in Greece and in some other countries. Otherwise, it may arise in a nomadic (fully or partially) way of life, as was the case with the Slavs or the Germans.
Military democracy was almost all nations andwas the last stage of the pre-state evolution of society. To it can be attributed the Roman community of the period of the kings, as well as the Greek policies of the "era of Homer." If we consider this phenomenon from the point of view of archeology, then the era of military democracy will correspond to the period when metals were used, which led to changes in the economic and political structure of societies.
Eastern Slavs in the eighth century and the firstAt half past eight, a social order began to form, which historians would later call the term "military democracy." This is a transitional period from the primitive system with tribal assemblies, leaders who were elected by all, tribal militia to the initial public education with a strong center that unites all residents of the country who are already starting to differ greatly in their material, legal status and role in society.
