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. City-

states 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.