In todays world, dominated by an American superpower, the United States is naturally thought of as an immediate threat to all other major nation-states. However, the top rulers of Athens were elected, while Spartas were not. Zareef Peeroo Tim Bailey October 15, 2014 Athenians vs. Spartans The differences between government, the role of women, and the education status of Athens and Sparta led to similar yet very different societies residing in the same area; therefor I will deconstruct these issues using an analytical comparative framework. Like Ancient Rome, Athens had separate branches of government which helped them organize and maintain society. For the first time in the eurozones history, the exit of one of its member countries became a very real possibility. But inside of Greece there had been certain types of decisions. They were not similar at all. Down Of course, it led to a devastating civil war that claimed more than 100,000 lives. Militarily, both the U.S. and Ancient Rome have been considered superpowers of their time. One difference is that US has a representative democracy and Athens has a direct democracy. Sparta was ruled by two kings, who ruled until they died or were forced out of office. ), American Foreign Policy 02/03 (pp. Another difference was the main bodies of governance; The Assembly, the Boule, and the Courts. What is thought to influence the overproduction and pruning of synapses in the brain quizlet? Additionally, Ober goes on to state If we take democracy to mean what ancient Greeks took it to mean political power wielded actively and collectively by the demos (i.e, all residents of the state who are culturally defined as potential citizens, regardless of their class or status) then Athens was a democracy. The Conversation between Socrates and Meno Pages: 5 (1489 words) Socrates in Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave' Pages: 7 (2234 words) Importance of Athenian Society and the Comparison between Athens and Sparta Pages: 2 (653 words) Civil Rights Activist Ella Baker Pages: 2 (514 words) Justice relates to equality, and in Aristotles democracy the citizens had more say in government decisions. In closing, Aristotelian democracy was based on citizen participation and equality, fear of the demagogues, and the constitutional honor that follows a democracy., Zinn believes A Kind of Revolution because there is a limit to give people a small portion of rights and the injustice will always be present. And in the number of these is justly ranked our Thucydides; a workman no less perfect in his work, than any of the former; and in whom the faculty of writing history is at the highest. Hobbes argued that Thucydides history contained valuable lessons. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". As Benjamin Barber, quoted by Paul Pillar, says in Jihad vs. McWorld, Selling American products means selling America: its popular culture, its putative prosperity, its ubiquitous imagery and software, and thus its very soul. Do antibiotics interfere with drug test results? Pericles, an Athenian statesman, makes it clear when he says that "each individual is interested not only in his own affairs but in the affairs of the state as well" (p.147 Thucydides). to keep up with the changing laws and with the growing population of the people., Comparing Athenian Democracy and Modern US Democracy, Both have similar structures where power is given to the people in the form of participation. Greek society was similar to the society that most of us enjoy today because it was full of a rich culture. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates in its alternative fiscal scenario that U.S. publicly held debt will grow to 180 percent (exceeding the current Greek level) by 2039. Similarly, the United States built an empire in the wake of their victory in the Second World War, assumed the role as leader of the free world during the Cold War, and ultimately became leader of the entire world when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. One Athenian tyrant named Cleisthenes made his assembly a genuine legislature, which is an idea that the United States government uses today (Page 11, P. 1). First, in the US we have a representative democracy which means that people vote on representatives who create the laws. stratus cloud In both, the government is run directly by the citizens. This religion contained many gods all lead by Zeus that all lived in a mystical realm on top of mount Olympus. During the 17th century England was stirred by talk of democracy and republicanism, learned from the study of Greek and Roman history. cumulonimbus clouds a cold f When it comes to decision making, majoritarian allows all of its people to help in the decision making where as in pluralistic citizens can go up in front of certain leaders of the groups and be heard by them where the leaders would consider or not consider the citizens arguments. With the launching of the Global War on Terrorism, the United States found itself militarily engaged with an enemy that harbored a deep hatred of all things American. Another idea that the United States government got from the ancient Greeks is the idea of a jury, which is a panel of citizens who have the authority to make the final judgment in a trial (Page 13, P. 1). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. And we have lost our common sense in matters of family and personal behavior. Such wars will happen, again and again, until history itself comes to an end. The similarities in the structure of the government in both Athens and Sparta holds that both states ensured that every individual operated within the law. Athenian democracy was the direct democracy, meaning that all Athenians had the right to vote on all new laws and other important decisions. The purpose of. They still acknowledged though the freedom of human nature to those governing could not be fully trusted and the possibility of temptations of power existed. Pericles, an influential statesman, contributed a lot to the history and legacy of Ancient Athens. However, the top rulers of Athens were elected, while Sparta's were not. 5 Who was considered a citizen in ancient Athens? The political aspects of Ancient Rome and the modern United States are rooted in the concept of the republic. cold air below warm air a rising barometer In ancient Athens, legislation was created and enacted by the Assembly, which was made up of every citizen who wanted to attend and met 40 times a year. English is seen as the primary medium of communication across the nation as the majority of the people is conversant with it. Athens vs. Sparta | Life Differences Between Athens & Sparta. Donate now. wind Also, it is a decentralized structure of government, meaning that many hands or groups of hands have a grasp at the power around them. Because each sovereignty ruled differently, they had different advancements in the areas of democracy especially in the people's role in the government, the method of voting and fairness of law., Like Mesopotamia, Athens might be well known for their system of law and order. Please inquire if the Registered Representative is registered in your state. There is a fine line between a democracy and a republic although there are some similarities. Direction and preservation of safety is vital to every society. America could be seen as more similar to Sparta, attempting to stop the inane rule of an all-powerful city-state that is holding the rest of the world hostage. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates in itsalternative fiscal scenariothat U.S. publicly held debt will grow to 180 percent (exceeding the current Greek level) by 2039. The Athenian Democracy and The United States Democracy were very similar yet quite different. Something Doesnt Add Up. Spartan society, on the other hand, was a militant society whose economy was based on farming and conquering. He argues that the ordinary Athenian citizen is not concerned with being a righteous person, but rather with maintaining society in order. Similarities between US and Athens are that US and Athens have a democracy. THE COLD WAR fog Athens and Sparta are two prominent Greek rival city-states. Alexander, B. This excluded all women, slaves, resident aliens and even men who had a foreign-born parent, limiting government participation to approximately 10 to 20 percent of the population. 316 Words. 5a. 2. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. vertical air currents Another similarity between the two city-states was their military prowess. Those rights include the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to pursue happiness. and ended in 338 B.C. Carmen M. Reinhart, Vincent R. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff, as well as Manmohan S. Kumar, Jaejoon Woo, Stephen Cecchetti, Madhusudan Mohanty and Fabrizio Zampolli, report that advanced economies with high levels of debt (85-90 percent of GDP and higher) grow more slowly annually than their lower-debt counterparts. Following the Persian War, the Athenians immediately began to build their empire, and continued to expand their dominance until their aggressiveness threatened Sparta and her allies and confrontation was inevitable. He also contributed greatly by promoting the idea of a direct democracy. In the US most of the democratic system that the government uses is either identical or very similar to the Ancient Greek system., The three branches of the United States government are modeled after three parts of Athenian democracy. In describing his time, Thucydides wrote: For neither had there ever been so many cities expunged and made desolate nor so much banishing and slaughter, some by the war and some by sedition. When society itself is disrupted, even nature appears to rebel. Modern-day democratic governments owe a lot to the democracy of ancient Athens. In addition to this, the social gatherings of Athenians and Spartans both had affinities and contrasts. Arguably the most important right given to Americans is the right to liberty, which is the . The fundamental distinction between Ancient Athenian democracy and US democracy is that the Ancient Athenians had a direct democracy in which all persons entitled to vote would vote on all issues. Growing spending on public benefits threatens to overwhelm the U.S. economy in the long term. What remains to be seen is whether the United States will be able to continue in its role as the most dominant power in the world, or if smaller, weaker nations will be able to join together to limit the power, influence, and global reach of the American empire they relied on for their survival just two decades ago. This early attempt at a fair and equal government run by the citizenry was unprecedented, and it served as a model for all the democratic governments that came after it. We rarely see the danger, and the abyss opening at our feet. One of the main similarities between Athens and Sparta was that they shared the same religion. Once men break with tradition, venturing upon a colossal political experiment, they lose the ability to navigate. Copyright 1997-2023, Financial Sense. In G.P. Yet U.S. debt is already in the danger zone, dragging down present day growth prospects. Pericles stated that he wanted all citizens to have an equal opportunity to serve the public. (Select all that apply) The city is centred on the Island of Montreal, which obtained . Even though the Greek's notion of democracy is dramatically different from our current democracy, it has been one of the most influential philosophies that have shaped the political thought of the United States. These countries witness democracys effects on a country in the modern world, creating the desire for, They posed some very arguments. Sparta and Athens had similar forms of government; both city states were in part governed by elected assemblies. A balance of power in which the two world leaders fought each other off and on is reminiscent of the struggles between Athens and Sparta in the years between the Persian War and the Peloponnesian War. Athens and America: Parallels in the Modern World, Columbus, Ohio: The Heart of Buckeye Beauty, History, and Culture, Some Common Ground for Liberals and Realists, Taliban Infiltrates South Dakota Legislature, The Captivity Stories of John Tanner, Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca and Olive Oatman. Hastedt (Ed. The people of Athens believed it was their destiny to hold on to their empire and pushed their foreign policy to the limits in an effort to maintain their dominance. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. With the Naval power being the strongest part of Athens military, this shows that if their fleet is depleted in battle, they still have a large reserve of people who would be able to assist with military, It does not require that every citizen knows the ways of the democracy, that it is it relies heavily on the interests groups, mainly that groups leader. The Lincoln Memorial also has a much longer entrance of stairs . It was a better way of life, they believed. Rather than being revolutionaries, they were reactionaries who believed in the wisdom of the past. Grammarsaurus Gold Subscription - 44.95/year INC VAT. 4 How is the United States different from ancient Athens? Because the United States is the worlds only superpower and frequently acts like it, Americans are commonly thought of by other nations as arrogant and self-interested, much like the Athenians of Thucydides time. This goes to show a fair side of Greece. They even paid their military, In 507 B.C. A. The Greeks, especially the Athenians who founded democracy, provided citizenship, public education, and most importantly, freedom of speech. What are the similarities between ancient Athenian democracy and modern democracy in the United States? The daily life of an ancient Greek was very similar to our lives today. Both ancient Athenian democracy and modern democracy in the United States are based on the idea of representation and the protection of individual rights. Athens saw the beginning of democracy and government like we know it today. The idea of free and fair elections as a democracy is simply giving a voice to everyone and giving them the opportunity to use it to influence government. The balance of a Constitution is vital to know the right amount of rights between the wealthy and weak, but the most power will be won by the, The citizens participate in the music as well the activities which serves a great way for them to feel important as well as a way for them to blow off steam and enjoy themselves. In this view, all citizens could be trusted as suitable candidates to govern the city. People have claimed that the United States is also a Democracy. In a democracy, the citizens make decisions. In its efforts to maintain the dominance established over other nations in the wake of the Second World War, the United States increasingly antagonized former allies to the point where much of the world expressed negative views about America and its role as world leader. In both, everyone is allowed to vote. Each city state had at least a partially elected government and a strong military, and both relied on the labor of slaves. In the US when citizens are 18 and older they are granted the right to vote. The Lonely Superpower. Just as weaker allies looked to Athens for protection and leadership in the wake of the Persian War, so too did weaker nations look to the United States for protection and leadership in the face of forced Soviet domination in Eastern Europe following the Second World War. The United States, like Athens, believes that its way of life holds the key to prosperity and liberty for other nations. The Athenians expressed a similar predicament when they said, Certainly they put up with much worse sufferings than these when they were under the Persians, but now they think our government is oppressive (Thucydides, p.81). Both governments have left a mark on history and in fact, they even are partially emulated by our very own, the United States of America. From the latin meaning (radical - radix, which means root . The government of the United States is a Constitutional Republic (Every). They examined the similarities behind having a city-state set up (comparing the colonies to Greece's Athens, Sparta, etc). The second camp, led by the Soviet Union, promoted communist ideology and the advancement of the working class. The most influential democracies were Greece, as it was considered one of the first democracies, and the Roman Republic which lasted several hundred years. The Athenians had discovered a new way to govern themselves. Athens had become the most powerful city in the Greek world, energized by a new form of liberty. To hear this history rehearsed, Thucydides explained, shall be perhaps not delightful. Nonetheless, this history gains its immortality because it instructs future peoples what they might expect from runaway liberty. Democracy means rule by the people, and the citizens vote to decide the rules of their country. Finally the legal system was less challenging in Ancient Athens., The ancient Greeks first had the idea of a democracy, or government by the people. Athens and Sparta are famous as they are two major city-states in ancient Greece. Rate: 2 (14181 reviews) Similarities Between Athens And Sparta - IPL.org. How is Athens and the United States similar? In addition to their governments, the two cities had a democratically elected assembly whose members people elected. Ancient Athens wasnt., Democracy has been around for hundreds of years and while the basic principles have stayed the same though each society governed in a slightly different way. The United States believed in having people control the power between their lives and the lives of "higher ups" along with Aristotle's The Constitution of the Athenians and any laws that followed sed constitution. In Athens only men that owned property are allowed to vote. How were the culture and government different in Athens and Sparta? The promotion of democracy through social and cultural globalization generated much resentment toward the United States as American corporations seeking to advance their economic interests exposed the rest of the world to the good and the bad aspects of American culture, American values, and American democracy. The gravitation towards elitism being shared between many citizens of both democracies. President Bush has certainly lived up to these views, but he represents most Americans in his belief that, like Thucydides Athenians, ?we consider that we are worthy of our power (Thucydides, p.80). Wherein there be an equality amongst all men in point of law for their private controversies. They lose their sense of proportion, their sense of right and wrong. What are the similarities between the United States government and democracy in Athens? Although Sparta and Athens were both Greek cities, their societies were different. As areas grew larger in size due to the growth of population, the set laws would need to And the United States, like Athens, is hated for its power. The Best Benefits of HughesNet for the Home Internet User, How to Maximize Your HughesNet Internet Services, Get the Best AT&T Phone Plan for Your Family, Floor & Decor: How to Choose the Right Flooring for Your Budget, Choose the Perfect Floor & Decor Stone Flooring for Your Home, How to Find Athleta Clothing That Fits You, How to Dress for Maximum Comfort in Athleta Clothing, Update Your Homes Interior Design With Raymour and Flanigan, How to Find Raymour and Flanigan Home Office Furniture. Merchandising is as much about symbols as about goods and sells not lifes necessities but lifes styles (Pillar, 2001, p.63). Recent research by the International Monetary Funddraws lessons from nine country case studies on how changes in fiscal policy coupled with structural economic reforms, such as labor-market liberalization, drive increases in economic growth. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Both Sparta and Athens were militarily strong, though in different ways. Hobbes was afraid where this talk might lead. I will let them both pick, and not only one. Both city states had extremely large slave populations, with each home to about 100,000 slaves. Greece and the United States have long-standing historical, political, and cultural ties based on a common western heritage, shared democratic values, and participation as Allies during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War and the War on Terror. An example of a political privilege can be use by citizens in Greek was that laws were voted upon and to able to nominate by the assembly of all citizens. nimbostratus clouds Both firms doing business as Financial Sense Wealth Management. However, waiting too long on reforms diminishes the ability to phase in major changes gradually, in a way that will protect those who rely on benefits the most and leave others time to adjust to new fiscal realities. The United States, like Athens, believes that its way of life holds the key to prosperity and liberty for other nations. , Pls explain Athens is the capital and the largest city of Greece. Romina Boccia focuses on federal spending and the national debt as director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation. What does it mean that the Bible was divinely inspired? The Athenian democracy and the Roman republic were two very different governments in practice, but also maintained similar characteristics in both systems of government. , Pls explain Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Despite the differences, the fiscal pressures confronting the United States spring from sources similar to those afflicting Greece. In Athens only men that owned property are allowed to vote. Here is a complete list of all their major differences and similarities. These aspects of American life were often in contrast to the values and traditions of many nations in the world who were not receptive to American influence and American power. In comparing Athenian democracy to modern US democracy, I believe that nothing fundamentally has changed, we just allow ourselves to believe things have changed. How is the United States different from ancient Athens? Her policy of freedom and shared power for male citizens was feared by conservative leaders in Corinth, Thebes and Sparta. Democracy is equal. It is debatable whether the Americans have acted as unjustly and brutally as the Athenians. The similarities do not end with the structure but also there are similarities how citizens view democracy and who should lead. Despite these . One of the main similarity between USA and Canada is that the two countries use English as their official language despite having other sub-languages in their respective countries. Another way that they differ is that Athens was ruled by a council of 500 and the Roman empire was ruled by the senate and up until third century BCE Roman kings.The Roman Empire is far more superior to the Athenian city-state because of the more efficient government, better laws and more in touch citizens. There is one difference between Athens and America that we must not forget. Your email address will not be published. Cons : The information was not what I was looking for. C. Clockwise Even though democracy disappeared from history after the fall of Athens until the 1700s in America, its concept still hasnt changed from time and it became Greeces most enduring contributions to the world., The word democracy is derived from two Greek words, demos, which means people, and kratos, which means rule. Answer: Explanation: The Athenian state was actually a direct democracy while the US is a representative democracy. Downloads are for members of Grammarsaurus only. The two governments might be a little more democratic than the Federal Republic of the United States but its certain that they have been introduced., The first well-known democracy was in Athens. In addition to a policy of preemption being exercised as part of the Global War on Terrorism, the United continues to intervene militarily in regions of the world where it feels its promotion of peace or human rights is more important than national sovereignty. Democracy is a flawed government system. The United States has enjoyed ascendancy for about the same length of time that Athens enjoyed its ascendency. The similarities between these two great civilizations are evident politically, militarily, and culturally. Therefore, when Athens was defeated at the end of the Peloponnesian War, Sparta did not exterminate the Athenians or destroy the city itself. Just because you were poor or not extremely rich didnt mean that you could not have a job. Carr, C. (2002). temperature Also, the citizens of Rome had the ultimate power, but they used that power to vote in chief executives to help govern Rome. In the end, the Athenians gradually discovered that there will always be those that seek to gain power, and no matter what political system is in place there will be those that will discover ways to increase their individual power. All these evils entered together with this war, Thucydides stated. An example of democracy; You have two treats, the dogs can pick only one treat to eat. There are many things to make democracy successful and efficient. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 1 How is Athens and the United States similar? How are Athenian direct democracy and US representative democracy similar? One difference is that US has a representative democracy and Athens has a direct democracy. This does not leave room for an individual to behave according to his own conscience in order to promote a feeling of moral well- being., Greek democracy was in some way unfair. With the war in Iraq now over a year old, the United States finds itself facing an Iraqi people who, while grateful to be rid of Hussein, are increasingly resentful of the American occupation. The foundation of the United States is built on three unelidable rights.