The concept of Democracy was originally developed in the Ancient Mediterranean city-states. Athens and Rome were among the first polities in the world to adopt this system of governance.
Athens is widely known as the first democratic state ever. After a long period of being ruled by tyrants, most notably Draco who had enacted unreasonably harsh laws, the polis started the transition to democracy during the rule of Solon, which began in 594 BC (Blackwell 4). He was the first to enact a system similar to the modern democratic elections. All of the Athenians were involved in the process of selecting the candidates for the positions of the Archons – the advisors to the ruler of the city. He also created the Council of 400 citizens in which any free person with sufficient property had the right to participate. Soon after the reign of Solon ended, Athenians have fully embraced the idea of democracy. The office of the tyrant was eliminated by Cleisthenes, who restructured the entire society to prevent the aristocracy from having more political weight than ordinary free people. The Athenian democracy was direct and focused on personal liberties. Each free male citizen had the ability and was encouraged to participate in the political life of the city (Farrar 8). The military and civil leaders were chosen for limited terms and were subject to scrutiny by the popular court at the end of their rule. This system ensured that the rule guided by personal interests was nigh on impossible.
Roman democracy was very different from Athenian. The Roman state sent observers to Athens to learn from the experience of the city (Livy., et al. 23). The Republic inherited some of the basic principles of democracy from the Greek city-state but changed many aspects of it. The Consuls ruled as autocrats advised by the Senate, and the will of the people was expressed through assemblies
which were only held on the permission of the government (Balot 194). They had no ability to propose new laws or argue specific points. However, since the magistrate elections were conducted through assemblies, they still possessed considerable political power. It is also worth noting that the votes of rich and influential citizens had more weight creating inequality during the elections. The Roman model of democracy is much closer to the modern democratic states. It included the first prototype of the checks and balances model which ensured that the Consuls, the Senate and the citizens could control and limit each other. Nowadays, every developed democratic state uses some version of that system to guarantee the separation of powers. Since the Roman society was much more heavily stratified than the Athenian society, the personal freedom was not the focus of the political system. Instead, the upper-class citizens were expected to act as examples for the rest of the populace. Subordination, respect, and obedience were the virtues expected of every Roman. Thus, the democracy was also more rigid, strictly regulated by the proper procedure and conduct. Rome was ruled by the Patricians – aristocrats and the common people could express their will only through the state-sanctioned assemblies. This system is similar to the modern governments where all official acts of a citizen’s participation in the political life of the state are regulated by the government.
Athens was the birthplace of democracy the political system of the city-state became the groundwork for all of the future democratic governments. The Roman Republic has introduced some changes to the equation which will become the basis for the modern democratic models. Even more important, the Romans managed to preserve the original ideas of their Greek predecessors, ensuring that the origins of the democracy and various forms it can take are remembered through the ages.
Works Cited
Balot, Ryan K. A Companion To Greek And Roman Political Thought. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.
Blackwell, Christopher W. 2003. “The Development of Athenian Democracy”. Stoa Publications. Web.
Farrar, Cynthia. The Origins of Democratic Thinking. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1988. Print.
Livy., et al. The Early History Of Rome. London: Penguin Books, 2002. Print.