Sparta and Athens shared similarities and differences in their systems of government, militaristic focuses, judgment and views of women. Ironically the term democracy is the most used term to describe the American government even though it has little meaning in our government today., One thing that the ancient Greek affected western civilization is politics. Athens as a whole stresses the importance of an active citizen whose life is intertwined with the government. Citizens are allowed to vote in both states, and both also have a bicameral legislature. The hunger for power and greed is ever-present in the likes of both democracies. They both allow men to vote. Perhaps the victor is spoiled by his victories; perhaps a nation that innovates cannot grasp the consequences of so many innovations piled one upon the other. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, the world was left with one superpower-the United States. One difference is that US has a representative democracy and Athens has a direct democracy Advertisement Advertisement Another difference was the main bodies of governance; The Assembly, the Boule, and the Courts. THE COLD WAR They also developed a strong military tradition that helped them become one of the most powerful states in the world. In Athens only men that owned property are allowed to vote. a rising barometer This is just of one of the factors that led the Athenian people to being on board with their democracy, something that Pseudo-Xenophon acknowledges as extraordinary. Similarities between US and Athens are that US and Athens have a democracy. Militarily, both the U.S. and Ancient Rome have been considered superpowers of their time. Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill / Dushkin. The Lincoln Memorial also has a much longer entrance of stairs . This week, Athens dodged a steep financial crisisat least for now. If U.S. policymakers and the public take away only one key lesson from whats happening in Europe right now, it should be to put the budget on a path to balance during good times such as these. There is one difference between Athens and America that we must not forget. Both firms doing business as Financial Sense Wealth Management. Registered Representatives associated with this site may only discuss or transact securities business with residents of states they are registered in. Also, there was a regular review of magistrates and how they conducted themselves during their spell in office (Jones, 1957)., Dalpino wrote, Globalization offers a bait and hook. Autocratic governments usually agree to a global regime to receive economic benefits (Dalpino). The gentle lifting of warm, moist air as it moves up and over colder air will form _____. New York: Penguin Books (1972). 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. climate President Bush outlined in the national security strategy of the United States a policy of preemption that put the other nations in the world on notice: the United States would protect itself and its interests, with or without support from other nations, and without being attacked first. The gravitation towards elitism being shared between many citizens of both democracies. While Athenian democracy was made up of the Ekklesia, the Boule, and Dikasteria, American democracy is made up of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch. and ended in 338 B.C. Give at least 3 reasons to support your answer. For one of the first times in history, regular citizens could play key roles in how their community and government was, Ancient Greece is normally associated with the origin of democracy. And the United States, like Athens, is hated for its power. 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. 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. But one thing is certain, given the march of time: The people of the United States have lost their moral center and are in danger of falling into a kind of chaos. One unfair thing was that only males who were citizens were allowed to vote, no women, no men who werent citizens. stratus cloud In an effort to maintain its dominance, the United States continued to stress the promotion of democracy as a primary focus of American foreign policy. Athens vs. Sparta | Life Differences Between Athens & Sparta. 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). What is thought to influence the overproduction and pruning of synapses in the brain quizlet? What made Thucydides relevant for Hobbes in the 17th century, what makes him relevant today, is the likelihood that the destabilized Greek world of Athens is a model of future destabilization. I know two popular city-states of Ancient Greece: Sparta and Athens. 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 Islamic extremists who hijacked airliners and crashed them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center buildings in New York were opposed to the United States and all that it stood for. humidity The bipolar world that existed following the Allied victory in 1945 eventually came to an end as the poor economic conditions in Eastern European countries dragged down the Soviet economy, forcing Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to release his communist empire in an effort to save his government at home. Down This chaos appears in our economic behavior in our indebtedness and failure to observe the traditional rules of economy. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. It was an idea contributed by Cleisthenes. 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. Greece and other struggling European countries offer Americans a window to the future. So that conversing one with another without offense, we stand chiefly in fear to transgress against the public and are obedient always to those that govern and to the laws, and principally to such laws as are written for protection against injury.. Among the demands arenational asset sales (including privatization of Greeces power distribution network), labor-market reforms, reductions in public pensions and an increase in the national sales tax. Moreover, Athens' economy was mainly based on trade, whereas Sparta's economy was based on agriculture and conquering. Previously, in a bipolar world dominated by the United States and the Soviet Union, many countries looked to the United States for security and guidance. 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. The predicament of the United States in the years since the end of the Cold War is similar to that expressed by Athenian businessmen speaking in Sparta in Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War, It was the actual course of events which first compelled us to increase our power to its present extent: fear of Persia was our chief motive, though afterwards we thought, too, of our own honour and our own interest. an Athenian leader named Clisthenes introduced political reforms that introduced democracy. In this view, all citizens could be trusted as suitable candidates to govern the city. What did city states have in common? 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. I hope you learned some of the differences between the US and Athens government. The highest offices went to those people whose land produced 730 bushels of grain, while the . They even paid their military, In 507 B.C. The United States, like Athens, believes that its way of life holds the key to prosperity and liberty for other nations. Nigeria and the United state have been great allies for a long time with the United States being Nigeria's greatest trading partner.Also, approximately 1 million Nigerians and Nigerian Americans live, study and/work in the United States while approximately 25,000 Americans work and live in Nigeria.Today, I'm going to compare the two countries: Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. After accounting for other benefits, transfer payments make up about 70 percent of all spending in the United States today. In the fifth century B.C. Perhaps there is something inherently unstable in the materials, in the people, in the situation of unprecedented success and power. Why is direct democracy important? Each has defined city-states that act as a separate political entity from other city-states. Athens was ruled by archons, who were elected annually. Chinas Xi Set to Consolidate Control as Legislature Convenes, America Not Past Her Prime, Nikki Haley Tells CPAC, Merrick Garlands Unsatisfactory Answers to Senate Judiciary Committees Legitimate Questions. Finally, in Aristotles democracy all citizens have equal free rights because they are equal at birth which lead to citizens whom fully and willingly participated in government; and this is how Aristotles version of democracy was designed. 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. Some nations in the world want the United States to expand its role as the worlds policeman, while other nations want the United States to stop meddling in affairs that do not directly affect Americas security. What are two Greek city-states that you know? History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Athens was the centre for arts, learning and . 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). Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The study notes, [A]verage growth increased substantially during the decade following reforms in most countries studied: By about 3/4percentage point on average in advanced economies (excluding Ireland) and by even more in emerging markets and low-income countries.. In many respects, both Ancient Athenian and modern American democracy contain a shared . New York: W.W. Norton & Company. It began in 461 B.C. Athens saw the beginning of democracy and government like we know it today. Ever feel like the only difference between the New York Times and Washington Post is the name? It is debatable whether the Americans have acted as unjustly and brutally as the Athenians. ! 2. Downloads are for members of Grammarsaurus only. Rate: 3 (16863 reviews) What is the Difference Between Athens and Sparta. Amid Big Tech Layoffs, Demand Still High for Foreign Workers With H-1B Visas. This religion contained many gods all lead by Zeus that all lived in a mystical realm on top of mount Olympus. Another entity mentioned in detail is how it seems as though every man thats not royalty, regardless of if he is a slave, soldier, sailor, stone cutter, whatever, has the ability to jump on a ship and row. 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. That is, every citizen voted on everything. Once men break with tradition, venturing upon a colossal political experiment, they lose the ability to navigate. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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). Updated: 02/10/2022 They both allow men to vote. Of course, it led to a devastating civil war that claimed more than 100,000 lives. 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. It was established in early 1985. It was not based on the majority of the people's votes, as only a fraction of the population (free adult men with fAthenian parents) had any kind of voting rights, and women, slaves and foreigners had no say in any issue involving the government. 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. One difference is that US has a representative democracy and Athens has a direct democracy. Such wars will happen, again and again, until history itself comes to an end. Growing spending on public benefits threatens to overwhelm the U.S. economy in the long term. 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. Here are the basic parameters: Any citizen could initiate a trial (there were no public prosecutors in Athens) simply by registering it with the magistrate under whose jurisdiction it fell; the magistrate would preside over a trial to be judged by a jury of 200+ randomly selected men who would listen first to . In United States, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2018. In ancient Athens, all adult male citizens had the right to participate in the Assembly and vote on laws. Mainly men had power over everything and to me that was unfair. 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. The United States has enjoyed ascendancy for about the same length of time that Athens enjoyed its ascendency. One of the main ways they were similar was in their form of government. Although the form of democracy in the United States and ancient Athens is very different, there are still similarities. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Peasants were used. There were many both fair and unfair things about Ancient Greece. Her wealth was envied. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. C. Clockwise These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Rise of City-States: Athens and Sparta - USHistory.org. Sparta and Athens are a pair of the most recognizable cities in the history of the ancient Greece. 4 How is the United States different from ancient Athens? Your email address will not be published. That meant as the laws The daily life of an ancient Greek was very similar to our lives today. 5 Who was considered a citizen in ancient Athens? Athenian democracy contributed to the rise of democratic ideas because Athenians were the first ones to develop the 3 separate branches of government (executive, judicial, legislative). 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. That had required more people and That had been more complicated. United States citizens vote for representatives, who then vote on the laws. The similarities do not end with the structure but also there are similarities how citizens view democracy and who should lead. 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. But inside of Greece there had been certain types of decisions. For many Greek cities, however, the Athenians appeared arrogant. One being that the Athenian democracy was exclusive. 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. Martin Luther King is widely known as a figure of justice that fought for the equality of afro americans, he was a radical. However, Athens moved towards a democracy because of citizens discontent with the current government (Page 10, P. 2). Waiting for a major crisis to force reforms, as Greece has done, brings unnecessarily painful austerity. In addition to their governments, the two cities had a democratically elected assembly whose members people elected. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. D. Counterclockwise, The four major factors affecting weather are: The United States cannot solve all of the worlds problems and while some nations want the United States to be globally involved, many others are joining together in an effort to curb American influence and ultimately American power. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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. Alexander, B. American leaders can expect to see more alliances or coalitions of the type represented by the European Union as nations try to reduce American dominance and counter the power and influence of the United States. The democracy was slowly formed by leaders . The Athenians emphasized political and modest display, and believed in the power of the individual human (Cole, Symes, Coffin, & Stacey 2011, 58), therefore citizens of Athens called the shots. Much like Athens, the United States has pursued policies designed to maintain its position in the world. Those rights include the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to pursue happiness. 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. Rex Warner. Structure of Government In addition to this, the social gatherings of Athenians and Spartans both had affinities and contrasts. Financial Sense Wealth Management10809 Thornmint Road, 2nd FloorSan Diego, CA 92127USA, 888.486.3939grow[at]financialsense[dot]com. The purpose of. The Athenian Democracy and The United States Democracy were very similar yet quite different. Both city states had extremely large slave populations, with each home to about 100,000 slaves. The Constitutional Republic is also flawed, however, it is better at safeguarding individual rights, when applied correctly. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Citing the threat posed to the United States by Saddam Hussein, the American government removed him from power and occupied Iraq. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser. Greek democracy was very lenient towards their military. Description. Athens and Sparta are famous as they are two major city-states in ancient Greece. There are few reasons why Ancient democracy differs from modern democracy. According to the Congressional Budget Office, Such a large amount of federal debt will reduce the nations output and income below what would occur if the debt was smaller, and it raises the risk of a fiscal crisis (in which the government would lose the ability to borrow money at affordable interest rates).. @RominaBoccia How are Athenian and American democracy different? Yet U.S. debt. understanding of how the two city states differed after completing the reading students analyze a chart of statements that match either athens or sparta and must correctly, help your students master key information about ancient greece s two most famous city states athens and sparta most world history textbooks give an overview of the two city states but few take the next step of helping . But lessons applying to one may apply to the other. Socrates, a Greek philosopher, is a firm believer in examining one's actions in life and ensuring that a morally righteous life is being led. Just as Athens had become powerful following the Persian War, the United States built its empire in the face of a world-wide Soviet threat that forced smaller, weaker nations to ally themselves with America in order to ensure their survival. between the two types of governments. B. (Doc.3). Everything is changed forever, and much is lost. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Athenian democracy implemented three institutions that ran their government. What does it mean that the Bible was divinely inspired? 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. The major powers, on the other hand, would prefer a multipolar system in which they could pursue their interests, unilaterally and collectively, without being subject to constraints, coercion, and pressure by the stronger superpower (Huntington, 1999). The foundation of the United States is built on three unelidable rights. It is debatable whether the Americans have acted as unjustly and brutally as the Athenians. Both Athens and Sparta had an assembly, whose members were elected by the people. Romina Boccia We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. An example of democracy; You have two treats, the dogs can pick only one treat to eat. Can wars of this kind happen again? The Athenian sense of empire as destiny and the resultant foreign policy following the Persian War are similar to efforts by the United States to promote democratic values worldwide and of an American foreign policy that has become increasingly confrontational in the years since the end of the Second World War. Many ancient political Greek philosophers would use the phrase "the governors are to be governed" which we can relate to today. This is called an attic, which is a form of Roman architecture. They chose to structure the United States as a representative democracy. The United States differs from Greece in important ways. 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. For example, on the top of the Lincoln memorial, the prism is not triangular, but rather rectangular, unlike the Adam 3 Parthenon. The government of the United States is a Constitutional Republic (Every). It was a big contribution because our government today consists of three separate branches also., Athenian Democracy VS Unites States Democracy. Your email address will not be published. Let us describe what democracy and oligarchy are defined. 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. 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. Similarities between US and Athens are that US and Athens have a democracy. Athens had become the most powerful city in the Greek world, energized by a new form of liberty. He argues that the ordinary Athenian citizen is not concerned with being a righteous person, but rather with maintaining society in order. Athens will get its third bailout since 2009 in return for enacting certain reforms demanded by its European creditors. Following the conclusion of the Persian War, the common effort put forth by Athens and Sparta gave way to two separate factions, with some states choosing to side with Athens and other states choosing to side with Sparta. The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. 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. This means that ancient Greeks could enjoy exotic foods, good music, and read literature, just as we do today. Just as Thucydides claimed that, What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused? (Thucydides, p.49), the fear of American influence and power led to the terrorist attacks on the United States and to the American response in the form of global war on terrorists everywhere. Each city state had at least a partially elected government and a strong military, and both relied on the labor of slaves. Sparta and Athens were both Greek city states that dominated ancient Greece during the fifth century BCE. Athens is the capital and the largest city of Greece. They examined the similarities behind having a city-state set up (comparing the colonies to Greece's Athens, Sparta, etc). The United States assumed the role of world leader and, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, found itself increasingly alone as nations that it once protected became increasingly antagonistic toward American policies and American influence. In Greece, however, that number is 17.9% as of 2018. pay a 21.2% higher top tax rate