Western Civilization I / Unit 13 WC1 1234 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Milan, Venice, Florence Compared: Despot, Oligarchy, Republic
The idea
The exam sets the three great city-states side by side and asks which statement fits which. The method is three features with three answers each: who rules, what the wealth is, and what the city is known for.
In practice
Who rules: Milan a despot, the Visconti; Venice a merchant council under an elected Doge; Florence a republic with elected offices dominated by the Medici. The wealth: Milan northern trade and arms; Venice the spice trade, banking and the ducat; Florence wool, banking and papal finance. Known for: Milan the despot archetype; Venice the first banks and resident ambassadors; Florence patronage, the dome, the schools. Apply: a statement about a lifelong elected head of a merchant oligarchy is Venice; a statement about a family that ruled a republic without holding its offices is Florence; a statement about a dynasty of tyrants is Milan; a statement about a coin that never changed weight is Venice.
Where people slip
All three were oligarchies of the popoli grossi in practice, and the poor majority voted nowhere. The exam wants the constitutional form, and the anchor gives it, but the common ground is the point of video 1206.
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