The Democracies of Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Ancient Athens, Eternal and Incomparable Democratic Ideal
Systematic Deficiencies as the Seeds of the Roman Empire
Conclusion
Bibliography
Footnotes

Introduction

Fortunately, history knows the first genuine experience of a republic, political pluralism, civil liberties, and a democratic system, both in the form of direct and representative popular rule. It was the Greek polis at the end of the 6th century BC.¹ The second time humanity witnessed the creation of both a republican and democratic system was in Rome around the same time. If the existence of the Roman Republic is not in any doubt, the question of Roman democracy remains rather complicated. Democracy has always been closely associated with the republican system, a state system in which opportunity, right, and power to decide belongs to elected and usually collegiate bodies. A republic may have a strong executive branch, but along with it, there is usually a collegiate council or parliament, usually with legislative or controlling functions. While being geographically and culturally close, the democracies of Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic went through radically different historical and ideological paths.

Ancient Athens, Eternal and Incomparable Democratic Ideal

It is crucial to consider the main common features of the political systems of the mentioned countries. The correlation between republican and democratic systems presents a very complex picture. Any democracy which, at least formally, is based on the power of the majority, equality of citizens, protection of their rights and freedoms, a system of separation of powers, and electability of authorities implies a republican plan. On the contrary, not every republic is a democracy and can be a state with oligarchic or aristocratic rule.² It is also true that it is democracy that is the highest form of development of the republic and republican principles.

Both republican and democratic principles were much more distinct and better understood in the Greek cities than in Rome. The Greek thinkers developed a theory of three forms of government long before the Latins, in the times of Herodotus. The first of these, namely the monarchy, was more prevalent in barbaric communities, states, and early Greek history. The Greek world itself was divided into aristocratic or oligarchical and democratic republics.³ Athens was regarded as an ideal model of democracy, and Athenians refused to define Rome explicitly as their political equivalent. Ancient Greeks stated it as a synthesis of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy.

Systematic Deficiencies as the Seeds of the Roman Empire

Ancient political thinkers, philosophers, and historians do not consider Rome a refined version of democracy. They did not see it as a system similar to a genuinely democratic society of the Athenian type. Assessments vary greatly; as for ancient authors, it was a sign of the democratic character of the Roman constitutional order.⁴ Many modern scholars see Rome as an imperfect, dictatorship-leaning democracy. The power of the commissions was limited by the enormous legal and extra-legal power of the senate and a strong, independent magisterial authority. In a real democracy, the council of state and officials were the executors of the will of the people, elected by the people themselves. The Roman system did not provide accurate control of the commissions over the magistrates, nor did it provide for any possibility of controlling the senate’s activities. The Roman republican state system and its branches had many structural omissions, imbalances, and shortcomings, eventually leading to the emergence of the greatest Mediterranean empire.

Conclusion

This written work is devoted to studying the antique polis and antique democracy, the power of the people, and its representative bodies. It compares and analyzes the democratic systems of two gone yet powerful and historically influential countries. These are necessary to explore to be aware of both politics and history. A more detailed examination of the data on the commissions’ activities is essential for further study of this topic.

Bibliography

Coles, Amanda Jo. “Roman Colonies in Republic and Empire.” Brill Research Perspectives in Ancient History 3, no.1 (2020): 1–119, Web.

Spawforth, Tony. Story of Greece and Rome. Padstow: Yale University Press, 2020.

Little, Becky. “Why Greece Is Considered the Birthplace of Democracy.” History. Web.

Footnotes

Amanda Jo Coles, “Roman Colonies in Republic and Empire,” Brill Research Perspectives in Ancient History 3, no. 1 (2020): 1-119, Web.
Tony Spawforth, Story of Greece and Rome (Padstow: Yale University Press, 2020), 45.
Spawforth, Story of Greece and Rome, 45.
Becky Little. 2021. “How Democracy Developed in Ancient Greece,” History, Web.

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The Democracies of Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic

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