Classical Greece And Rome: A Comparative Analysis

Abraham Lincoln writes, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”. This idea illustrates that a government is for the people and is created by the people. It is another way of saying that the government is looking out for the people. Can this idea be compared to classical Greece and classical Rome? Yes, it can. Classical Greece at first was ruled by powerful aristocratic families that took away the rights of the people. The people did not have a say. It was not until powerful leaders such as Cleisthenes and Solon that everything became straightened out. Starting with Solon, he tried to get rid of all of the debt in Greece. He did more than this. Solon encouraged the export of olive oil and encouraged that no one shall be a slave …show more content…
The idea of oppression did exist in a monarchy. This was not stated earlier, but Sparta a branch of the Greek states, remained under a power of militaristic role. Citizens in Sparta had a duty to provide for the government in a nationalistic way. The citizens were to be ready for whatever trial that arrives. It was a little more than that. Honor is an aspect that the Spartans had to follow. Consider this quote from Plutarch on Spartan women, “Those that were thus commended went away proud, elated, and gratified with their honor among the maidens”. This proves that honor is something to strive for. Having honor was the social norm in Sparta and everyone was expected to follow along. If someone lost in a duel in Sparta they would have killed themselves as they were the loser. The main idea is that the kings and the whole entire system of society wanted to go along with this idea of honor. Yet, is there more to that then just honor? Yes. More oppression can be seen with the fact that the Spartans had slaves. These slaves were called Helots. The Helots are not really just a minority of people, but they are people who were captured by the Spartans when they attacked their own villages. They are foreign slaves in a way. If these Helots were thought to be at a course of a rebellion, then they were to be dealt with. How would they be dealt with? The Spartans would arrive in the middle of the night and kill many of the Helots. This is considered a scare tactic in order for the Helots to know their place. Thus, the idea of severe oppression is conducted. That is why the Athenians may have created a democracy. It is to be noted that the Athenians did have slaves, but they were not treated like the Helots. The Romans like the Spartans had a focus on the military. According to the book of humanistic tradition, the Romans after overthrowing the Etruscans kings began to extend their