Many great civilizations have come and gone and have left a lasting impact in our world. However, very few have had such a lasting impact in world’s history like ancient China and Greece. Both civilizations have influenced us tremendously and have given us much knowledge that guides how we think, behave, and live our lives. Even though both civilizations gave us many things such as philosophical views and values, their contributions in government set them apart based on their contributions to our current governmental system. Although similar to each other in some ways, ancient Greece and China had many dissimilar viewpoints about good government; these viewpoints can be broken down and analyzed to see how Greece’s views of good government were more focused on society while China’s views were more focused on spirituality and morality.
Greece and China had many similarities, which centered on who should rule. For instance, both civilizations had a portion of their beliefs of good government centered on the personal characteristics of the individual. From the works of Sparta, we can see that they focused more on personal abilities of an individual and whether he showed enough qualification to lead them. According to the Spartan Constitution, a person in Sparta would look to another with strength with obedience and respect; as a result, the more strength and respect you can command, the better chance you have to lead (Reader 73). The Chinese can also be shown to center their views in this way by observing the Analects of Confucius which explain to us that the most moral individuals or in other words, the most humane and wisest, are the people who should be allowed to rule. For example, according to the Analects, Confucius says that ru...
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...nt even though they had similar beliefs in how one should rule.
Although similar to each other in some ways, ancient Greece and China had many dissimilar viewpoints about good government; these viewpoints can be broken down and analyzed to see how Greece’s views of good government were more focused on society while China’s views were more focused on spirituality and morality. Ancient China and Greece have been two of the most important and influential societies in recorded history based on what they have given us. However, their work in government has been most important because it has shaped the outcomes of societies around the world. We have only scratched the surface of something extremely interesting in this work; only by further developing our knowledge about these topics can we hope to develop new ways to cope with issues facing our world today.
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Han China was an empire that expanded over a vast territory and Classical Athens was only a small city-state. Inevitable, there were differences in all aspects of life. The documents provided plenty of information on demographics, government structures, individual roles and duties of a citizen, an view on physical life. Overall, the 64 million differences in population, the democracy that arose in Athens, the importance of a father-son relationship in Han China, and the interests in nature by the Hans were the key facts in the two’s differences.
Ancient Greece has always been known as the civilization that created the mold of the Western society that we live in today. It had influenced the world in a way that no other civilization had. However, such a great civilization didn’t last long. The reason for this is its people failure to form unity.
Athens’ governmental shift in 501 BC was unprecedented and innovative, being the first notable implementation of democracy in an ancient world inundated in monarchy. This form of government, founded by Cleisthenes, has been instrumental in Western Civilization, especially since the modern age. Democracy gave Athens life, providing not only a well functioning governing system, but also enabling the city-state to grow and survive multiple Persian invasions. However, at the dawn of the Athenian empire and the rise of Pericles, democracy began to die, and Greeks lost their love of freedom when they sought power and glory through their military conquests. I argue that Athenian’s rejection of democracy can be seen through their mistreatment of other states and their lust for power and glory.
The Ancient Greeks were nothing if not influential. Ever since it 's formation in the 8th century B.C., Greek civilization has impacted many of the world 's greatest thinkers and shaped the landscape of Western Civilization. Aside from their art and philosophy, the Ancient Greeks were particularly interested in politics and, in the case of Athens, a new system of government known as: democracy! Long before the American founding fathers declared their independence from Britain, Athenian citizens governed their own state and voted to solve political turmoil. However, ancient Athens was no perfect twin to American democracy, and being an upstanding Athenian citizen meant more than simply voting and going about one 's business. A standout Athenian
“Good government consists in the ruler being a ruler, the minister being a minister, the father being a father, and the son being a son” (Riegel). Confucius spent his life pushing for equality and a new way of life in ancient China to give the Chinese people something to believe in during difficult times. Modern day China is the hidden engine room of the world. Through the overpowering role of a communist government, it allows them to focus the drive of the industrial workforce into a point in order to take on jobs outsourced by other countries. The official religion of China as of 2002 is Atheism, but the country is still filled with religious diversity including many religions spouting from the efforts of Confucius and his journey to preach a better life (Central). Brutus saw that Rome was in danger of falling into the grip of an all powerful ruler that would crush the rights of his fellow Romans. Brutus dared to step out from the basic crowd mentality that followed like a herd of cattle, and stood against the perceived threat. In Confucius’ path to build a better world through a peaceful bond of a social and political lifestyle, he created a reputation of doggish, yet calculated, perseverance to strive towards peace that matches the unwavering loyalty and unameliorable nobility of Brutus.
Munn, Mark H. The Mother of the Gods, Athens, and the Tyranny in Asia: A Study of Sovereignty in Ancient Religion. N.p.: Berkeley: University of Califronia, 2006. Print.
It is evident that religions and their place in society have a profound effect on the growth, development, and accomplishments of a civilization. The theocracies that preceded and followed the Greeks certainly had a profound historical impact, but the tradition that would most greatly affect the development of the western mind was that of the Hellenistic world. The birth of democracy and a Golden Age of western scientific and cultural development occurred in the civilization that furthest separated its religion from its government.
Political society today, has taken many lessons from Plato and Aristotle’s political ideas. As was the case in Ancient Greece, there are many different political ideologies and regimes that will may serve the purpose for one society, but in another, could cause utter chaos. Aristotle attributed the need for there being a number of political regimes due to the fact that there are “many parts to a city.” (4.3.1) The many parts to a city that he was referring to, simply enforces the necessity of having different forms of office for each of these parts. Not every method will work for each society. Aristotle’s concepts of political regimes have deeply rooted itself in society today. In order to understand the concepts of regime as suggested by Aristotle, this paper will consider the three different types; royalty, aristocracy, and constitutional government, as well as each of their deviations.
Government and its different forms appears many times throughout Herodotus’s Histories, sometimes its positive and other times its negative, however in the readings Herodotus demonstrates that it is not the Athenian democratic values that makes freedom but rather the absence of tyranny along with equality among men. Herodotus’s assessment of Athenian democracy is overall a positive development to Greek cultural identity in the eyes of Herodotus.
...ering the recent changes in China’s politics. Many are wondering what the future holds for Chinese politics and the idea of a democracy with Confucian characteristics is something many have been looking at since Confucianism holds an important place in Chinese traditions. We have witnessed on many occasions the failure of trying to implement a democratic system in a country that either wasn’t “ready” for democracy or a country where the political culture wasn’t compatible with the democracy models we are used to. This idea is very relevant when you talk about China since it’s easy to see how democracy might not fit right with the Chinese political culture. In such a case, the best solution would be a democracy with Confucian characteristics. So we can see here how the relationship between Confucianism and democracy is something worth reflecting on in current times.
During the time of Socrates, the people and the government went hand-in-hand; they were in agreement. If a person chose to reside in a city, it meant that that individual decided to follow and carry out all laws that had previously been enforced by the government. The city of Athens provided education, protection, and the mere existence of life to Socrates. In return, he was under the idea that he was required to serve his community. Since Socrates had accepted the Athenian culture into his life, he believed that he should be punished for committing wrongful acts against the city’...
The first ancient civilization that Kagan highlights is the Greek. He writes of their republic city-states, and pioneering of a “political life come to be shared by a relatively large portion of people”. He uses the Greek culture as an influence of science and reason. “The Greeks exposed everything they perceived—natural, human and divine—to the searching examination of reason.” Finally he describes the Greek quest for virtue and morality. He uses these examples to show how similar our culture is to the Greek.
A system of government in which one person reigns, usually a king or queen. The authority, or crown, in a monarchy is generally inherited by the eldest son. The ruler, or monarch, is often only the head of state, not the head of governme
Socrates and Plato were some of the world’s most famous philosophers. Yet, they caused much trouble in the midst of their philosophizing. These philosophers, in the view of the political elites, were threatening the Athenian democracy with their philosophy. But why did they go against the status quo? What was their point in causing all of this turmoil? Plato and Socrates threatened the democracy as a wake-up call. They wanted the citizens to be active thinkers and improve society. This manifested itself in three main ways: Socrates’ life, his student Plato’s life, and their legacy in our modern age.
The governments of ancient Greece and Rome had many similarities and differences, creating two unique cultures. There were several things that set them apart, and it changed the way each civilization grew and developed. For example, Greece’s social classes were divided into slaves, women and citizens, while Rome had slaves, plebeians and patricians. In ancient Rome, plebeians were the commoners in Rome, such as farmers, and patricians were aristocrats or noblemen. Furthermore, women were treated as citizens in Rome, but more like property in Greece (“Ancient Greece vs. Ancient Rome,” para. 5). In Athens, women were controlled by the men in their lives by having their father control them before marriage, and their husbands after. Another difference between the two countries was how their governments originally began. Greece was originally made up of several city-states, each being an independant nation. Rome, on the other hand, was originally a monarchy. Over time, it eventually became a Republic, in which power is held by the people and their elected representatives. The similarities between the government of Greece and Rome included their beliefs in several gods. Athens was known for worshiping the goddess Athena, their city-god. Rome worshiped several other gods as well, including Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Another similarity was their fierce militaries. Greece was known for having lots of internal warfare, but they succeeded in preventing any military invasions, especially from Persia. Rome is known for having as the most powerful and successful military in the Western region. Their size, strength, and organization helped them to achieve many accomplishments in the expansion of their empire.