World government

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World Government is the notion of a single common political authority for all of humanity. Its modern conception is rooted in European history, particularly in the philosophy of ancient Greece, in the political formation of the Roman Empire, and in the subsequent struggle between secular authority, represented by the Holy Roman Emperor, and ecclesiastical authority, represented by the Pope. The seminal work on the subject was written by Dante Alighieri, titled in Latin, De Monarchia, which in English translates literally as "On Monarchy". Dante's work was published in 1329, but the date of its authorship is disputed.

History

Persian Empire

Under Cyrus The Great and Darius the Persians founded one of the world's first stable, sophisticated empires based around the area of modern day Iran and Iraq. At its height, the empire was, arguably, the largest and most powerful state in the world, stretching from the banks of the Indus river in the area of modern-day Pakistan to roughly what now forms the westernmost boundaries of modern-day Turkey. The empire itself was widely known for its immense wealth, and it had a highly-developed bureaucracy which governed and maintained order over every part of the empire. The empire's prosperity and power drew both the admiration and envy of neighboring states, and later inspired the Ancient Macedonian king Alexander the Great to invade the empire and seize it for himself.

Asokan India

The Cakravartin is a popular Indian conception of a global authority. The Mauryan emperor Asoka the Great, is often considered an example of this highest political figure.

Roman Empire

The beneficial role of the Roman Empire in relation to Pax Romana was a subject of discourse in ancient times.

Pax Romana (Latin for "Roman peace") was the long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force experienced by the Roman Empire in the first and second centuries AD. Since it was established by Caesar Augustus it is sometimes called Pax Augusta. Its timing was approximately 200 years (27 BC to 180 AD).

Empires

No complete world government has ever existed, but over human history there have been several empires or dictatorships that encompassed substantial portions of the then known world. Famous examples are Alexander the Great and his empire, the Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire, and the British Empire. In the case of the British, a quarter of the world's land surface and approximately a third of the world's population was part of the Empire. This is the single closest time that the world has come to a total political unification.

Hugo Grotius

De jure belli ac pacis (On the Law of War and Peace) is a 1625 book in Latin, written by Hugo Grotius and published in Paris, on the legal status of war. It is now regarded as a foundational work in international law.[1]

Jean Jacques Rousseau

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United States

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Federation, or federalism, evolved in the late 18th century, a period in which the first modern democratic federation, the U.S., was established (1788).

Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant wrote the essay "Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch (Zum ewigen Frieden. Ein philosophischer Entwurf.) (1795)". In his essay, Kant describes three basic requirements for organizing human affairs to permanently abolish the threat of a future war, and, thereby, help establish a new era of lasting peace throughout the world. Specifically, Kant described his proposed peace program as containing two steps.

The "Preliminary Articles" described the steps that should be taken immediately, or with all deliberate speed:

1. "No Secret Treaty of Peace Shall Be Held Valid in Which There Is Tacitly Reserved Matter for a Future War"
2. "No Independent States, Large or Small, Shall Come under the Dominion of Another State by Inheritance, Exchange, Purchase, or Donation"
3. "Standing Armies Shall in Time Be Totally Abolished"
4. "National Debts Shall Not Be Contracted with a View to the External Friction of States"
5. "No State Shall by Force Interfere with the Constitution or Government of Another State"
6. "No State Shall, during War, Permit Such Acts of Hostility Which Would Make Mutual Confidence in the Subsequent Peace Impossible: Such Are the Employment of Assassins (percussores), Poisoners (venefici), Breach of Capitulation, and Incitement to Treason (perduellio) in the Opposing State"

Three Definitive Articles would provide not merely a cessation of hostilities, but a foundation on which to build a peace.

1. "The Civil Constitution of Every State Should Be Monarchial"
2. "The Law of Nations Shall be Founded on a Federation of Free States"
3. "The Law of World Citizenship Shall Be Limited to Conditions of Universal Hospitality"

Karl Krause

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In 1811, a German philosopher Karl Krause, suggested, in an essay titled "The Archetype of Humanity", the formation of five regional federations: Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Australia, aggregated under a world republic. In 1842, the English poet Lord Alfred Tennyson, published the oft-quoted lines "Locksley Hall": For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see / Saw a Vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be /... / Till the war-drum throbb'd no longer / and the battle-flags were furled / In the Parliament of man, the Federation of the world. / There the common sense of most shall hold / a fretful realm in awe / And the kindly earth shall slumber / lapt in universal law.

Bahá'u'lláh

Though not playing a significant role in Western history, between 1852 and 1892 Bahá'u'lláh founded the Bahá'í Faith, a religion, identified the establishment of a global commonwealth of nations as a key principle of his new religion. He envisioned a set of new social structures based on participation and consultation among the world's peoples, including a world legislature, an international court, and an international executive empowered to carry out the decisions of these legislative and judicial bodies. Connected principles of the Bahá'í religion include universal systems of weights and measures, currency unification, and the adoption of a global auxiliary language.[2] The Bahá'í Faith currently counts in excess of 5 million members spread across the globe.

Switzerland

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Following the U.S. experiment, Switzerland (1848) and Canada (1867) formed the first multi-state federations, uniting distinct ethnic/cultural/lingual regions under a common government.

Ulysses S. Grant

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Ulysses S. Grant commented, "I believe at some future day, the nations of the earth will agree on some sort of congress which will take cognizance of international questions of difficulty and whose decisions will be as binding as the decisions of the Supreme Court are upon us."[3]

Wendell Wilkie expanded on this notion in his book One World.

International Peace Congress