Similarities Between Ancient Athens And Usa

327 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Short note on Greek democracy

Throughout history, many forms of government have come and gone with varying levels of success. Despite the vast cultural differences between Ancient Athens and the Modern Day United States, current American political institutions have been heavily influenced by the Ancient Athenians.
In comparing the Ancient Athenian system of government, and the Modern Day American political system, there are many similarities. In Ancient Athens, democracy was developed in response to a long history of oppressive rulers who used their position of power for their own benefit. Ancient Athenians sought a government where all citizens were considered equal under the eyes of the law, and all had a fair say in the running of their country. Following a series

Show More
Related

  • How Did Greece And Rome Influence America

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    From 500 AD to 500 B.C, during the classical era, Rome and Greece, developed and settled along the Mediterranean Sea. Within these 1000 years, both Rome and Greece went through multiple transitions of power and struggled to maintaining peace. America learned from Greece and Rome’s mistakes and evolved into a more successful version of the two civilizations. The two civilizations did not only teach United States, but they also influenced American culture and infrastructure. Although Greece contributed to many elements of modern day America, Rome had a larger influence on America through the use of democracy, economy, and advancement in culture.

    Read More

  • Evolution of Democracy and the Athenian Constitution

    4275 Words  | 9 Pages

    It is surprising indeed that Even today, tyrannies and dictatorships exist in the world when more than two and a half thousand years ago the ancient Athenians had developed a functional and direct form of democracy. What contributed to this remarkable achievement and how it changed the socio-political. scene in Athens is what will be considered in this paper. The paper will have three sections, each detailing the various stages. of political development from the kings of Attica to the time of Pericles when, in its golden age, Athens was at the height of its. imperial power.

    Read More

  • Athens vs. Sparta

    1187 Words  | 3 Pages

    Four rulers, Draco, Solon, Pisistratus, and Cleithenes, greatly influenced the political development of Athens. However, Athenian democracy cannot really be called a true democracy since there were several flaws in the government and the way in which it functioned. Upper class male citizens over the age of thirty were the only Athenians who held any right to vote. The democracy in Athens consisted of an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. Together, nine anchors, a Council of five hundred, an Assembly, and a court chosen by lot governed the city-state with limited power. The Assembly was made up of five hundred men who were chosen from a list of those who were eligible to serve on the council. All branches of the government were capable of vetoing one another. It was also customary to expel from the country any speaker who became too powerful. This rule could easily be abused and often infringed on the freedom of speech that most democracies have. However, as stated in the Athenian Constitution, male citizens were equal and the government’s focu...

    Read More

  • Greek Influences on Western Civilization

    340 Words  | 1 Pages

    During the age of Pericles, the ideal form of government was believed to be a government formed by all of the citizens regardless of wealth or social standing. This was known as democracy, literally meaning “ government of the people” [Document 3.] This government favored the many instead of the few. Athens was a direct democracy, meaning every citizen participated in debates. Western civilization used this philosophy of government by many, and created an indirect democracy where citizens elect officials to make and enforce laws.

    Read More

  • How Did Democracy Develop Athens

    429 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Athens there were many types of government like monarchy, oligarchy, and tyranny. But the one that fit them the most was democracy. The tyrants paved the way for democracy to develop in Athens. Athenians had assemblies to vote on government actions. Democracy improved the economy in Athens and then it became a showplace in Ancient Greece.

    Read More

  • The Similarities that Lie between our Governments

    1371 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history several ideologies were acquired from different governmental institutions and implemented in establishing the United States Government. Both The Roman Republic and Athenian democracy have a great impact on our government today. The Roman Republic, on the other hand, utilizes many different concepts from different types of governments and executes it in its own government. Moreover, Athenian democracy shares a great deal of similarities with our government such as equality before the law, meritocracy, and open society. Through the basic understanding of those two institutions we can understand more about our own government. Some fundamental aspects that are used in our government today are majority rules, checks and balances, freedom of religion, Habeas Corpus, and the implementation of different governmental ideologies to form one government in order to further strengthen and stabilize it. Finally, we can observe how these ideas were used in the past and how they are carried out today.

    Read More

  • sparta and athens

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both Athens and Sparta formed a government that consisted of assemblies and voting. Athens allowed a large number of citizens to participate and vote on new laws. Every day the Council of 500 would meet. If the council wanted to pass a new law, they proposed it to The Assembly. The Assembly could not pass a law unless 6,000 citizens showed up to vote. Men were allowed to voice their opinions and debate issues. This type of governing gave all citizens a chance to have their voices heard. Unlike The Council of 500, Sparta had a small group, the Council of Elders, making their decisions. This group was made up of 30 men, including two kings. Their elected assembly, also meeting outdoors like Athens, wer...

    Read More

  • Ancient Greek Politics And Politics

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American political system is profoundly influenced by ideas from ancient Greece and Rome. Our ideas about democracy and republican government as well as our values of citizen participation come from these early societies. These cultures thrived thousands of years ago, but the ideas, building designs and governments that they founded still exist in the Western World today.

    Read More

  • How Did Cleisthenes Influence The Athenian Government

    582 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the U.S., people elected to the U.S. congress vote on issues. In Athens, ballots were decided by a system of lottery, but the U.S. chooses between certain individuals to regulate the country. In the U.S., people have special legal training, where as in the Athens people do not have the guidance to fulfill positions. The connection that the Athenian government and the U.S. government have in common is that it is their plan is to serve the people. In both democracies, not all individuals were given the authority to participate in decisions that were assembled. In our democracy, we have what is called a Democratic Republic. Our leader produces the laws that impacts us. Athenian democracy was a undeviating democracy. If there was an issue, people voted immediately on the issue. The legal system challenged the ancient Athens without lawyers and or other official representatives. Today, we normally vote for representatives who will form laws for the people. What both democracy’s have in common is the amount of patriotism and nationalism seen in the

    Read More

  • Is Socrates Not Guilty Of Treason?

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    Socrates and I grew up alongside the Athenian democracy, and experienced her vicissitudes in the past seventy years. We have both heard and experienced cycle of five types of governments that Socrates had mentioned. (Plato, Republic 8.547e) Our democracy was established hundreds years ago under Cleisthenes and turned to tyranny under Isagoras. In our childhood, Athens was a timarchy, and then Pericles ruled Athens with the

    Read More

  • Essay On Democracy And Athenian Democracy

    1230 Words  | 3 Pages

    The system of government we have today was starting to developed centuries ago by the Athenians and Romans. Both governments were established with the intent to give power to the people, even though it did not always play out that way in society. The Athenian democracy and the Roman republic were two very different governments in practice, but also maintained similar characteristics in both systems of government.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Greek Democracy

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, the Greeks’ democracy was not like the one we have today. In America, we have a representative democracy. We vote for leaders in our areas, and they go to the capital to represent us as a whole - something that may not be entirely accurate, as it is almost never possible to have an entire district agree unanimously on a single issue. The Greeks had a more accurate, but inefficient (if it were upscaled to today’s population) way of handling democracy. The Greeks

    Read More

  • America: The Modern Day Athens

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    "We do not copy our Ancestors, but are an example to them. It is true we

    Read More

  • Ancient Greece's Contribution To Western Civilization

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Athens, democracy was created as a government ruled by the people, for the people, the same way the U.S.’s government was created. It was also influenced by the three branches of government, legislative, executive, and judicial, and adopted that into their government. In Athens, there were even juries during court cases. One of the most important things about the democracy of Athens was how even the poorest man could be in office and be part of the government. In the U.S., this is also true and further proves how it strives to be the a more free government. The United States’s government has changed over time, but it still is very similar to the democracy of Athens and it is obvious how much the U.S. was influenced by it.

    Read More

  • Athenian Democracy and Pericles

    3286 Words  | 7 Pages

    The march towards developing a democratic society is often obstructed with societal unrest due to the influence of the status quo on the instruments of power. Before the rule of Solon, Athens underwent this same rule, as there was much discontent among the social classes in Athens. The society suffered financial disparity that often was the trigger for the war among the rich and poor in the society. This was a major factor that forced Solon into power to institute policies that would see a reformed Athens. By so doing, the society was looking for an avenue that would guarantee democracy and a society that is fair for everyone. The city-state of Athens was the epicenter of the revolution for the Athenian democracy during the fifth century BC. In the Athenian democracy, the electorate voted for the legislation of bills instead of a direct democracy where the electorates are tasked with electing representatives who later developed the bill. Among the first people who made significant contributions to the development of the Athenian democracy were Solon (594 BC), Cleisthenes (508/7 BC), Pericles (495 – 429 BC) and Ephialtes (462 BC). Pericles was the longest serving democratic leader who contributed much development in democracy in the city. This paper will give an account of the age of the Pericles.

    Read More

More about Similarities Between Ancient Athens And Usa

Open Document