Ancient Greece had many different cultural hubs and variations between government structures and organizations. Two of the most heavily influential societies during the era of Ancient Greece was Sparta and Athens. In the following paragraphs, the governments and organizational structures of these two very different cities will be analyzed. First, Sparta and Athens had different ways of dealing with the right to participate in public life, especially regarding government, as well as who held public office. In Sparta, the society’s sole purpose was to either be a warrior or give birth to many warriors. The whole structure of government was designed around this ideal. This meant that there were very specific guidelines on who could participate
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The largest similarity between the two governments was the fact that both Sparta and Athens had a very narrow definition of who could participate in the government, as well as both cities being heavily influenced by the wealthier individuals in their governments. They both had systems of governance that emphasized laws and how to make them. Both had a voting system in place, as well as an emphasis on military might (although Sparta’s emphasis was much stronger) (Brand, …show more content…
The most glaring difference is that Sparta did not have a democracy, while Athens did, though it was not total. Sparta also had kings, and it appears that Athens did not. Sparta’s governance was centered around warfare and warriors, while Athens was centered around philosophy and debate, at least for some of its history. In Athens, any issue could be brought before the People’s Assembly. In Sparta, only issues approved by the Gerousia could be brought before the Assembly. Sparta’s Assembly met monthly, while Athen’s meetings were much more frequent. These are just a few of the many differences between the two cities and their organization (Brand, n.d.). In conclusion, Athens and Sparta are an interesting pair of cities to compare. They seem to have organized their societies similarly in some ways, but taken vastly different paths to arrive at how they organized themselves. Both cities are fascinating to study and have each left a mark on the world to this day.
Resources Brand, D. (n.d.). Athens & Sparta: Democracy Vs. Dictatorship. [online] Available at: https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/202563/mod_book/chapter/127061/Athens Sparta dictatorship democracy.pdf [Accessed 14 Sep.
The largest similarity between the two governments was the fact that both Sparta and Athens had a very narrow definition of who could participate in the government, as well as both cities being heavily influenced by the wealthier individuals in their governments. They both had systems of governance that emphasized laws and how to make them. Both had a voting system in place, as well as an emphasis on military might (although Sparta’s emphasis was much stronger) (Brand, …show more content…
The most glaring difference is that Sparta did not have a democracy, while Athens did, though it was not total. Sparta also had kings, and it appears that Athens did not. Sparta’s governance was centered around warfare and warriors, while Athens was centered around philosophy and debate, at least for some of its history. In Athens, any issue could be brought before the People’s Assembly. In Sparta, only issues approved by the Gerousia could be brought before the Assembly. Sparta’s Assembly met monthly, while Athen’s meetings were much more frequent. These are just a few of the many differences between the two cities and their organization (Brand, n.d.). In conclusion, Athens and Sparta are an interesting pair of cities to compare. They seem to have organized their societies similarly in some ways, but taken vastly different paths to arrive at how they organized themselves. Both cities are fascinating to study and have each left a mark on the world to this day.
Resources Brand, D. (n.d.). Athens & Sparta: Democracy Vs. Dictatorship. [online] Available at: https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/202563/mod_book/chapter/127061/Athens Sparta dictatorship democracy.pdf [Accessed 14 Sep.