Western Civilization

ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY AND

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

The city-state of Athens was prosperous until , in 508 B .C , it became a democracy . With the change to democratic rule , the majority of the people had all the decision-making power , with the minority being left with no influence whatsoever . As a result , the majority became a ruling oligarchy whose disastrous decisions brought about Athens ' end . Athens was forced into a series of wars , including that with Persia , and the Peloponnesian Wars . 1

The oligarchy having made too many poor decisions , class warfare made

its way onto the scene . The poor fought to steal the wealth from the rich . Division due to class warfare , and the overall lack of support and confidence in the ruling government , made it easy for Alexander the Great to defeat Athens in 338 B .C , thereby ending their democracy . 1

Rome established a republic in 509 B .C ' 1 Under this new system the Senators were elected by popular vote . However , limits were placed on their power , as a sort of check-and-balance system . This was a safeguard that left the people free , and under this freedom they prospered . 1

Factors which contributed to the expansion of the Roman Empire included superior methods of warfare , superior building and architectural capabilities that linked the empire , and money enough to support and maintain a large army to conquer , and then defend , the newly gained territories . 2 The land was the means by which the money was earned for the empire

Though the Romans did not have the advantage of superior weaponry , or anything different from their enemies for that matter , they were capable of beating armies much larger than themselves . As the empire expanded roads and aqueducts were constructed that allowed the empire to be united despite the large territory . In fact , some of these original roadways are still in use today . 2

As the Roman Empire continued to expand through additional conquered lands , they were able to maintain the stronghold by having adequate military on the boundaries of the empire , thus holding back the Barbarians who sought to encroach upon the empire . The Germans were always looking for a way in

Another factor that contributed to the success of the Roman Empire were the ideas of justice ' they initiated . These ideas of justice had already been formed into basic laws , which governed the entire empire by 451 B .C . These laws lay down what one could and could not do ' 2 These self-same laws were written on 12 plates of bronze . Today they are known as the Twelve Tables , and are the first examples of written law ' 2

The demise of the Roman Empire was greatly impacted by the greed excessive spending , and over-taxation of the people by some of the latter emperors . By the time that Commodus was assassinated , the imperial coffers were empty . Other emperors , such as Caligula , wasted vast amounts of money on parties for the wealthy where food and drink was consumed to the point of vomiting...