Download Ancient Greece and Rome DBQ Greece and Rome laid the

Ancient Greece and Rome DBQ
Greece and Rome laid the groundwork for many current governments today
through their governments, social structures, and traditions.
The origin of democracy today came from Rome and Greece’s political system.
In Greece, citizenship was limited to a few, which allowed for an ideal democracy. Citystates like Athens set up the polis, where citizens would have a say in the government.
Like today’s government in the U.S., there were two lawmaking bodies: the boules and
the ecclesia. By limiting the amount of power each body had, the poorer citizens would
not be oppressed and would have a way in the government. The Greek philosopher
Aristotle praised the polis, saying that the Greeks have “come to the final and perfect
association.” (Doc. 5) Now, Aristotle was an aristocrat, who still had more power in the
polis, but in general, society was run efficiently.
Today’s governments take more from the Roman model because the Romans
governed a lot more land. The Romans were not shooting for an ideal society, like the
Greeks and realized that they would have to be flexible. The Romans ruled much of
the countries that bordered the Mediterranean Sea as seen in document 1 so their style
of government became a republic. Like the U.S., Rome had representatives from
different provinces because the normal farmer did not have time to go to Rome and
vote. The Romans also knew that they had to rule by popular appeal, as seen in doc 2.
The bias was that Plutarch (45-125 CE), who was a priest, described the people of
Rome to be overjoyed under Cato and praised his statue. However, many people like
the Italians did not receive citizenship until after the Punic Wars.
Greece and Rome’s social structure impacted today’s government. Plebeian
Romans demanded more rights and wanted to have a say in the government, as seen in
documents 5 and 7. The bias was that Pericles, like most aristocrats, depicted the
citizens as happy, but most were still disgruntled. The citizens of Rome and Greece had
to fight for their rights. For example, the Roman plebes even seceded from the army,
which forced the Roman government to reassess their citizens and their power. Also, like
today’s government, the government in Greece and Rome thrived on peace. After all, it
is easier to rule citizens who have money to afford bread and go to games, as seen in doc
6. However, the bias was that the aristocrats just wanted to keep their citizens in check
by giving them free bread and grain and entertainment. The Golden Age was a time
when the government had the best rulers, the 5 rulers and the time when Rome prospered.
The bias was that a Roman writer was happy but many countries under Roman rule were
not very happy. Roman leaders were sent to those countries like in North Africa and
Egypt.
Needed another document to talk about the tradition.