ATHENSvs.

ROMEDirectandIndirectDemocracy
AtheniandemocracydevelopedintheGreekcitystateofAthens,comprisingthecentralcitystateof
AthensandthesurroundingterritoryofAttica,around508BC.Athenswasoneofthefirstknowndemocracies.
OtherGreekcitiessetupdemocracies,andeventhoughmostfollowedanAthenianmodel,nonewereas
powerful,stable,oraswelldocumentedasthatofAthens.Itremainsauniqueandintriguingexperiment
indirectdemocracywherethepeopledonotelectrepresentativestovoteontheirbehalfbutvoteonlegislation
andexecutivebillsintheirownright.Participationwasbynomeansopen,buttheingroupofparticipantswas
constitutedwithnoreferencetoeconomicclassandtheyparticipatedonascalethatwastrulyphenomenal.
Thepublicopinionofvoterswasremarkablyinfluencedbythepoliticalsatireperformedbythecomicpoetsat
thetheatres.[1]
Solon(594BC),Cleisthenes(508/7BC),andEphialtes(462BC)allcontributedtothedevelopmentof
Atheniandemocracy.Historiansdifferonwhichofthemwasresponsibleforwhichinstitution,andwhichof
themmostrepresentedatrulydemocraticmovement.ItismostusualtodateAtheniandemocracyfrom
Cleisthenes,sinceSolon'sconstitutionfellandwasreplacedbythetyrannyofPeisistratus,whereasEphialtes
revisedCleisthenes'constitutionrelativelypeacefully.Hipparchus,brotherofthetyrantHippias,waskilled
byHarmodiusandAristogeiton,whoweresubsequentlyhonoredbytheAtheniansfortheirallegedrestoration
ofAthenianfreedom.
ThegreatestandlongestlastingdemocraticleaderwasPericles;afterhisdeath,Atheniandemocracywastwice
brieflyinterruptedbyoligarchicrevolutiontowardstheendofthePeloponnesianWar.Itwasmodified
somewhatafteritwasrestoredunderEucleides;themostdetailedaccountsareofthisfourthcentury
modificationratherthanthePericleansystem.ItwassuppressedbytheMacedoniansin322BC.TheAthenian
institutionswerelaterrevived,buttheextenttowhichtheywerearealdemocracyisdebatable.

Arepublicisaformofgovernmentinwhichthepeople,orsomesignificantportionofthem,retainsupreme
controloverthegovernment,atleastintheory,andwhereofficesofstatearenotgrantedthroughheritage.[1]
[2]
Thecommonmoderndefinitionofarepublicisagovernmenthavingaheadofstatewhoisnotamonarch.[3]
[4]
Theword"republic"isderivedfromtheLatinphraserespublica,whichcanbetranslatedas"apublicaffair",
andoftenusedtodescribeastateusingthisformofgovernment.
Bothmodernandancientrepublicsvarywidelyintheirideologyandcomposition.Inclassicalandmedieval
timesthearchetypeofallrepublicswastheRomanRepublic,whichreferredtoRomeinbetweentheperiod
whenithadkings,andtheperiodswhenithademperors.TheItalianmedievalandRenaissancepolitical
traditiontodayreferredtoas"civichumanism"issometimesconsideredtoderivedirectlyfromRoman
republicanssuchasSallustandTacitus.ButGreekinfluencedauthorsaboutRome,such
asPolybiusandCicero,alsosometimesusedthetermasatranslationforGreekpoliteiawhichcouldmean

regimegenerally,butcouldalsobeappliedtocertainspecifictypesofregime,notexactlycorrespondingtothe
RomanRepublic,forexampleincludingSparta,whichhadtwokingsbutwasnotconsideredanormal
monarchyasitalsohadephorsrepresentingthecommonpeople.Republicswerenotequatedwithclassical
democraciessuchasAthens,buthadademocraticaspecttothem.[5]
InmodernrepublicssuchastheUnitedStatesandIndia,theexecutiveislegitimizedbothbyaconstitutionand
bypopularsuffrage.JamesMadison,thefourthPresidentoftheUnitedStates,comparedrepublicangovernment
todemocraticgovernment,andfounddemocracywanting.[6]Montesquieuincludedbothdemocracies,whereall
thepeoplehaveashareinrule,andaristocraciesoroligarchies,whereonlysomeofthepeoplerule,as
republicanformsofgovernment.[7]
Mostoftenarepublicisasovereigncountry,buttherearealsosubnationalentitiesthatarereferredtoas
republics,orwhichhavegovernmentsthataredescribedas"republican"innature.Forinstance,ArticleIVof
theConstitutionoftheUnitedStates"guarantee[s]toeveryStateinthisUnionaRepublicanformof
Government".[8]TheSovietUnionwasasinglestatecomposedofdistinctandnominallysovereignSoviet
SocialistRepublics.

COMPAREANDCONTRAST:FillininformationtocompareandcontrasttheAthenianformofdemocracy
withtheRepublic(Roman)formofdemocracy.