Democracy As A System Of Values - 1751 Words

2,500 years ago, in the city-state of Athens, Greece, democracy was born. However, ancient democracy was not suited for the vast and disparate populations that practice it today. Thus, throughout the centuries, democracy has evolved, eventually being recycled into the modern democracy that is practiced in the United States today. The term itself derives from Greek; demokratia is a combination of the Greek word for people, demos, and power, kratos. A democratic system of government is one in which the laws and decisions of the government are reflective of the desires, opinions and values of the people to which they apply. To better understand the differences between democracies of ancient and modern times, it is best to think of democracy†¦show more content†¦While revolutionary in its ideology, Athenian democracy was widely considered a failure, and as a result of its deficiencies, democracy evolved, particularly in Rome; however, the fundamental democratic principles that w e accept as the norm today can be attributed to the ancient Athenians. The very premise of democracy implies that the process of deciding who â€Å"gets† what and how, and the deciding of any and all political-related matters should remain open to the public. However, a fundamental difference between democracy in the modern context and in the ancient context arises from the demos itself, the people whom the democracy represents. All citizens were allowed to participate in the Athenian assembly, as a result of the reforms of Solon in 594 BC, a great Athenian statesman. Citizens were free adult men, often owners of land, who had completed their military training as ephebes, adolescents, in Athens. Economic measures such as land ownership were not a requirement of citizenship, however one was required to be a citizen in order to own land. To be a citizen one had to be born of male and female citizens. The body of citizens who participated in politics excluded slaves, freed slaves, children, women and metics, foreigners residing in Athens. While wome n could be technically considered citizens, they were completely excluded from all political life and also denied many of the privileges that citizenship conferred onto men. The portion of the