Question: What were the political contributions that each made to our modern world?
Ancient Rome Ancient Rome had a complex government that have contributed ideology to modern politics. For example, the Ancient Romans punished criminals to an extreme extent, and modern governments have learned from the injustice of that law. That may have been the inspiration for the Eighth Amendment; "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." Another minor comparison between Ancient Roman government and modern government was the fact that both civilizations elect a president type leader. Also, when Cicero was elected consul, he made a speech. This reminded me of the way in which the President makes a State of the Union Address directly following the election. Ancient Rome contributed many things to the development of democracy and modern politics.
|
Ancient Greece Ancient Greece had many contributions to today's democracy, in fact, they were credited with the beginnings of democracy. One thing that they brought to today's society was the idea of citizenship. Men who's parents were both Athenian had the ability to become citizens of Athens. Also, the Ancient Greeks created what is known today as "Trial by Jury". This concept included complex ideology like having so many jurors that the defendant or prosecution couldn't bribe them all. These kind of ideas are the ones that modern historians often marvel at due to their being very ahead of their time. All in all, Ancient Greeks had well planned and intelligent governmental systems that contemporary societies have learned from extremely.
|
Comparison
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome both contributed many ideas to modern government. Both civilizations had democracy, though Ancient Rome had a republic, or indirect democracy, where as Ancient Greece had a more direct democracy. Both civilizations had main rulers, although neither believed in monarchy, dictatorship, or tyranny. Both civilizations held important meetings, as you can see. On the left, Roman consul Cicero is giving a speech. On the right, a trial by jury is being held, similarly to today's courtroom trials. In both pictures, many people are gathering to actively take part in their government, which is the main take-away for modern society/government from both the Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman civilizations' governments.