The world's first democracies

Common features in culture and politics

The revolutions in England, France and the US in the 1600s and 1700s had a profound influence on the societies in Europe and North America. Thinkers such as Voltaire and Rousseau spread ideas about liberty, equality and brotherhood. They did not talk about sisterhood, but women like Olympe de Gouges and Mary Wollstonecraft advocated for women's rights. In the course of the 1800s increasingly democratic constitutions were adopted, and elected parliaments were established in many parts of Europe.

Although their histories vary, Western industrial countries are grouped here because they have common societal features. In addition to Western Europe and North America, Turkey, Malta Cyprus, Israel, Australia, New Zealand and Japan are included. In the past there were divisions, conflicts and wars between countries, but after World War II they have been characterised by rapid modernisation, high socio-economic growth and increasing collaboration. The creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the European Community were of particular importance.

Most of the Western industrial countries have ethnically been relatively homogeneous nation states marked by a Christian heritage, but some have indigenous people within their borders, or there are noticeable tensions arising from regional differences in language, culture and religion. At times, these have led to armed conflict. Nevertheless, the political systems are relatively similar. Almost all countries are stable democracies, the majority with parliamentary and multi-party systems. A few have presidential or dual systems.

Politics in these countries has been a male domain, with the exception of a few countries with royal women rulers. In the last century, the most important have been the queens of Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK. After Queen Elizabeth 1 and Queen Victoria, the UK got Queen Elizabeth II. Her duties are mainly ceremonial, and she is Britain's longest lived and second-longest reigning monarch, and is formally the head of state not only in Britain, but also in a number of Commonwealth countries, including Australia and Canada. The Netherlands had three ruling queens in a row, and Denmark had a reigning queen for nearly 40 years. Queens have a certain symbolic power, but they are not elected. The positions are inherited, and there is no evidence that female monarchs have stimulated the recruitment of women to leading positions in politics in general, though the British queen has appointed some women as governors-general.