Western Civilization Research Paper

In this paper, I intend to show that ancient Athenian democracy influenced western political thought, specifically, western democracies. By influencing such modern day democracies, ancient Greek culture remains a presence in contemporary life.

Ancient civilizations have had profound effects of what we know as the modern world today. The primary purpose for anything that lives is to survive. Throughout history animals, plants and humans have adapted to their surroundings. All living things have changed throughout time. The thing that differs humans from rest is, humans are more cognitively advanced. Over the course of time the shape and size of the human skull has changed. The size of the human brain has increased, which has allowed humans to adapt more to their surroundings. To survive, humans were making tools for hunting and to cut with. The closer you lived to the equator the darker your skin may have been, so you could adapt to the intensity of the sun’s rays. If you lived further

Of many ancient rulers, two are made very memorable. Lycurgus, ruler of Sparta, and Solon, ruler of Athens, made significant impacts on their polis that would continue throughout ancient Greek history. The reforms that were created by these rulers can be disputed in regards to their benefit on their city-state. The reforms Solon implemented were more efficacious in producing democratic change in Athens then those reforms that were executed in Sparta by Lycurgus. Due to the fact Solon is a man of middle ground, two reforms that are seen as superior to those of Lycurgus’ are the changes in trade as well as government.

Swiss-French writer Benjamin Constant and ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle offer conflicting viewpoints concerning the merits and possibilities of ancient Greek democracy. Aristotle’s political theory attempts to justify his city-state’s political structure by providing a model of the common good, or Chief Aim, his end goal for Athenian democracy. He believed Athenians could reach the Chief Aim as a society by individually learning to be virtuous and then instilling laws and morals based on these ideals. In his lecture, The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns, Constant highlights that the individual liberties protected in a modern representative democracy are much more important than the political liberties that one was given in antiquity. Constant illustrates that while some ideas of ancient Greek democracy are precious, Aristotle’s political theory is not an obtainable reality and it was beneficial that modern democracies transitioned to a system that protects individual liberty.

“[…] it is the poor which mans the fleet and has brought the state her power […] these have brought the state her power much rather than the…best-born and the elite […] it seems right that all should have a share in offices filled by lot or by election, and that any citizen who wishes should be allowed to speak […]” presented by Document B. This projects the idea that common men are in fact the backbone to society, rather than picking out the hereditarily wealthy of the people of Rome. As cited in Document E, the Athenian Assembly met forty times a year, all citizens were eligible to attend, and the united citizens chose their five-hundred officials by lot. The fact that there is a healthy amount of meetings per year, allows all of the citizens to be aware of government affairs by witnessing for themselves. The lottery further allowed a fair chance for all citizens to participate from the officials chosen by the Athenians, the Council of

One of the basic themes of the book is that the thought and the art of classical Athens is full of meaning for people of later generations. It is the full of meaning for nations, cultures and societies beset by broad-scale and profound social and political change and the accompanying confusion and fear produced in the minds and souls of human beings.

The Athenian state during this time was peculiar for its intellectual and political

The Athenian society was known as the most powerful society and well-developed city in the ancient Greek world. The Athenian Society was also known for their brilliant innovations in a lot of fields of life that are still being used in today’s life. Those fields of life include literature, poetry, drama, theatre, schools, buildings, and government. The fact that Athenian society being the strongest and brilliant society in the Ancient Greek time makes it become the most interesting society to study about. This society has a lot to offer in terms of its history and culture. To really see what the Athenian Society look like, we have to look at some important factors. Those

The Byzantine Empire at its peak was the most advanced in its culture, economic structure and military.  With its many expanding and contracting moments during its period of growth it was centered around, and a major part of the Roman Empire.    It was called the New Rome, and was influenced by Greeks, Romans, and the Roman Catholic Church.(Bauer, 11)  It mainly was the purpose of retrieving much of the old Roman Empire.  It was located there because it was surrounded by water and had an excellent harbor.  The Byzantine Empire withstood a long, treacherous history that ended after 1000 (476 ad-1453 ad) years.  1453 is the

The people of Ancient Athens lived under the rule of an aristocracy where they needed a leader who would look out for them and help them rebuild their society and that’s where Solon came in. Solon was the reformer who took control around the year 549 B.C. that made the most significant changes because unlike the previous leader he changed society and government to make it accessible to all people not just the upper class. The first thing he did was change the class system so that it wasn’t hereditary and anyone could reach the upper class status if they made enough money. Solon also helped prevent a revolt among the lower class by eliminating the harsh laws that the previous ruler had put in place. Solon created a more fair and equal government

Athens contributed to western humanities in many ways especially in government. Athens was the first direct democracy in the world. The word democracy signifies the people hold the power. Athens gave its citizens the authority to participate in making of law and polices, but different from the United States for the US believes in a democratically based government that elects a representative to make decisions for the people. “In the democracy of ancient Athens, Athenian citizens exercised political power directly, thus—unlike the United States, where the power rests in the hands of the representatives of people—the citizens of Athens themselves held the authority to make the law and approve state policy” (Fierro36). Also, Athens democracy

To understand how democracy came into power, the instigators who set up and initiated this system of government need to be further analysed. Each of them did key, significant modifications that ultimately attempted to make Athens an equal society amongst its citizens. Firstly, in the 6th century BCE Solon revoked all debts that the people of Athens owed. He allowed the poor to be involved by creating the ‘general assembly’, who now had a choice on deciding who they wanted in power (Pfingsten, n.d.). Debt slavery was also abolished by Solon, who was the first initiator towards a democratic society. Politically, Solon was believed to establish the council of 400, he also created the four class system dividing the population into separate classes

Greek political aspects have somewhat been responsible in shaping the political ideals for the modern day society. It is safe to say that the Greeks were promoters of the democratic ideas. An evidence of this can be observed that Athens was the hub for the birth of democratic ideals. It was also responsible for the formation of assemblies and their functioning, after being elected. This can be agreed upon to have established the modern ideas of democracy. The institutes, the assemblies

As one of the most significant works in philosophy, The Republic has been one of the most historically and intellectually influential basis of many political theories and philosophical approaches since its first appearance. It is also crucial to mention that the book contains both Plato’s and Socrates’ arguments of life and the view of the Athenian Democracy in the ancient Greek world. Therefore, it can be confusing and complicated to decide to which philosopher the arguments belong. The main focus of the book is to find the definition and the whereabouts of order, justice and to establish a just state, as well as to prove that a just man is happier than the unjust man by providing examples. The true importance of The Republic lies in the fact that everything has meaning in it, not only the arguments, but also the people who act as metaphors for the different kind of roles, which they fulfill in the Athenian society, furthermore the way they speak symbolizes those roles and every one of them embodies a part of the soul and the city-state. Even though it is not obvious, Plato / Socrates criticizes the Athenian society and tries to establish a new, ideal one with the different people he meets and talks to in the book.

Solon is the second person to reform the laws of Athens. He began revising laws in the 590s BC and “allowed all men in Athens to take part in the assembly that governed the city and to serve on the juries that heard trials” (SOURCE 1). Along with participation in the assembly, Solon “forbade the practice of debt slavery and set up a fund to buy back Athenian slaves who had been sold abroad” (SOURCE 2). Solon “based eligibility for political office on property qualifications, not birth,” permitting those not born of high social status to have the opportunity to hold an office (SOURCE 2). Through all of these events, society still did not accept the laws and because of this, more problems arose. During the troubles and chaos, a man by the name of Peisistratus “took advantage of the renewed conflict to seize power” (SOURCE 1). Peisistratus is a tyrant among the Athenians, however, is a popular person. This is because he “proceeded to institute Solon’s reforms” (SOURCE 2). The men of Athens who participated in the democracy were to “vote in all elections, serve in office if elected, serve on juries, and serve in the military during the war” (SOURCE 1). Cleisthenes, another law reformer, “divided Athens into 10 tribes based on where people lived” and “made these new tribes…the basis for elections” (SOURCE 1). The tribes had to send