The Nature Of Democracy By The Roman Res Publica Essay

If the nature of democracy may be understood via its etymological roots, demos (people) and kratos (power) arguably, in its very meaning, the system reflects an idealistic depiction of its primal iteration (that is, in 5th century Athens) rather than, for instance, the cogs of representative democracy that turn at the present – or so Western society likes to believe. In part, the significant distinction between the constructs is the constitution of the demos, Thorley estimates that it refers to between 12% and 17% of the Athenian population , and of course 66.1% of the UK population in the most recent general election. Hence, with a progressive understanding of politics one might assume that ‘the intermediary’ institutions of the Roman res publica (Senate and various Assemblies) lie somewhere within this linear democratic movement. Generally, however, political change is neither progressive nor linear and to this extent the Roman res publica was not the blending point that we might like it to be; it was not Aristotle’s â€Å"advantage to the poor† nor, in some ways, was it, as M. Cicero suggests, in â€Å"hands [where] the welfare of the commonwealth was the most important† . Rather, Roman political organs may be said to have malignly mutated from the schemata of Pericles’ Athenian government to the coup and later dictatorship of Sulla in 88BC; potentially, from which the elements of democracy, as it were, became unrecognisable to the Athenian gaze; and finally to the fall of theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Roots of American Democracy2355 Words   |  10 Pagesand flourishing in the areas of philosophy, sciences, mathematics and literature. One other admirable achievement, the establishment of early forms of democracy, came from this time period and should not be overlooked as it is the historical basis of our government today. The Founding Fathers of the United States were influenced by Greek and Roman concepts in law, government structure, and even philosophy. Concepts described in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United StatesRead More Aristotelian Ethics and its Context Essay6933 Words   |  28 Pagesis politics is to be understood properly not in the sense of politics qua nomothetike but just as politike, i.e., direct, participatory politics as was enjoyed in the Athenian polis and as the formed background to Aristotle’s philosophizing on the nature of ethics. The ethical import of politics can be retrieved from Aristotle’s Ethics (in both versions) and Politics by dwelling on the connection of eudaimonia and humanity’s function as such. Aristotle does not construe this function as contemplationRead More The History of the Roman Government Essay4423 Words   |  18 PagesThe History of the Roman Government The Romans have had almost every type of government there is. Theyve had a kingdom, a republic, a dictatorship, and an empire. Their democracy would be the basis for most modern democracies. The people have always been involved with and loved their government, no matter what kind it was. They loved being involved in the government, and making decisions concerning everyone. In general, the Romans were very power-hungry. This might be explained by the myth that