Influence of the West - Essay Example

Influence the West Introduction Various aspects of the current western world have been created by being influenced by the Roman and the Greek periods. The kind of music being played, law being made and practiced, practices conducted by the government and the philosophies followed and the scientifically changes experienced in the west are all influenced by the Roman and the Greek period (Spielvogel, 2009). In this paper we will famous on the various aspects of the Western society that have been impacted by the era of the Romans and the Greeks This paper will specifically focus on the impact of the Roman and Greek era on the democracy, laws and philosophies followed in the modern Western world. Body Influence on Democracy of Modern West The Greek civilization has a major impact in shaping the current democratic system of America. Greeks were the ones who developed the system recognized as Direct Democratic System, this system can be easily witnessed in the way American government is operated. The Persian Empire was the one to use the centralized way of ruling the nation in which decisions were made by the head of the states and these decisions were followed by the citizens (Richard, 2010). On the other hand, the Greek Empire was created of the elements of state and cities and the empire was heavily dependent on the public’s participation in the political system. This kind of political system and means of running the country was fairly new to the way an empire was governed. During that era, other empires failed to understand the importance of the participation of the citizens of a country in decision making and running of the political system. They even failed to understand how public can handle the issues faced by the governments of that time. Today, various countries operate as democratic nations including, United States of America, all these countries have been influenced by the way Greece democratic system was operating. The custom of voting in America was influenced by the Greek voting system during its early ages. During the early ages of US, the land owners who were very strong financially only were the ones recognized as the citizens of America and had a right to vote (Perry, 1989). Later the scenario changed and all individuals of US were granted the right to vote and were recognized as citizens. The Greeks were the ones who recognized the importance of votes of all the citizens of the nation. Therefore they created an assembly in the city of Athens where all the citizens participated in political process of electing the government body. The citizens were responsible for electing officers to different government positions and these officers were compensated for the services they offered in the government. Similarly, the assembly in comprises of individuals that represent the public and these individuals are responsible for voting for the election of different individuals to different government positions (Osborne, 2006). Influence on Republic Government The government of the Romans start with the creation of constitution, their constitution provided the government with the guideline for operating the nation. Similarly the US functions according to a constitution and all the activities conducted by the government are in compliance with the constitution. If activities against the constitution are conducted, the conductor of such activities is held responsible in the court of law. The US process of creating rules and regulations is even similar to the law making system of the Roman period. During the Roman period an assembly consisting of the citizens initiated the process of rule making by passing a legislation, which was later approved by the individuals that were categorized as the upper class and then the rule was passed in the name of the public (Watkin, 1986). In US, same procedure for making rules is followed, first the rule is passed by the representatives of the public which is then accepted by the senate and then the legislation is passed. The basic idea on which the Roman republic system was created even influenced the Western republic system. The Romans did not want that the decision making power should remain in the hands of one individual or one body thus they created a mix of aristocracy and democracy system. The American system of keeping a check and balance on the functioning of the branches of the government in order to ensure that one branch does not become too powerful has even been influenced by the Romans system of check and balance (Cubberley, 1920). The decision of whether to go to war followed by the US government is even quite similar to the decision system of the Romans. The people or the assembly created in the Athens decided whether the Republicans should fight a war or not. The Senate of the Romans even comprised of 300 individuals who provided services for life time, similarly the US senate consists of 100 individuals, and each individual serves tenure of six years (Greer, 1992). During the Roman period two parties existed, these were recognized as populates and people’s party, similarly the senate of the US contains members from two parties; the Republicans and the Democrats. The Senate of the Romans had the power to make various decisions such as appoint public officers, manage finances of the state, and make declaration of war; similarly the Congress has the right to make various decisions. Influence on Modern Way of Thinking and Science The theories developed by the Greeks have impacted the way today individuals in western nations operate. These effects have been witnessed in Mathematics, it is said that the foundation of mathematics learned by students today in West was laid in the era of Greek period. Aristotle has been recognized as the one to conceptualize the method of deduction used in scientifically research by Western students (Finlay, 1844). The Greeks have gained recognition to create principles and laws required to solve mathematical problems and solve issues and they were the ones who created the phenomenon of mathematical proof. Just like in modern society, individuals use mathematical logic to science; similarly, Greeks used the ways of logical thinking, theoretical aspects, and proofing in their science work (Mommsen, 1871). The concept of solar eclipse and the world map that is witnessed in modern times is said to have been witnessed by Thales and created by Anaximander during the Greek era. Western Universities teach their students on the subject of philosophy and they highlight the great Greek philosophers during their teaching process. Popular philosophers that are part of curriculum includes Socrates and Aristotle, due to their contributions, the West has been able to create laws and operate their governments and are experiencing great success. Conclusion The Romans and Greeks have impacted the Western society in various ways; they have not only impacted the political and the scientific side of the Western society. They have even influence arts, architecture, music, agriculture, and various other aspects of humans living in the Western Society. Democracy is referred to as a system in which people have more power than the ones running the country, the idea of democracy was a major political move made by the ancient Roman thinkers. The Republican government of western nations such as the US is clearly influenced by the Republican system of the era of Greece and Rome. The similarities can be witnessed in the government’s power structure as well as decision making rights. The Greek philosophers and their philosophies are studies in educational institutes of the west so the students can understand the modern world in a better way. Works Cited Greer, Thomas H, and Gavin Lewis. A Brief History of the Western World. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers, 1992. Print. Richard, Carl J. Why We're All Romans: The Roman Contribution to the Western World. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. Print. Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print. Cubberley, Ellwood P. The History of Education: Educational Practice and Progress Considered As a Phase of the Development and Spread of Western Civilization. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1920. Print. Osborne, Roger. Civilization: A New History of the Western World. New York: Pegasus Books, 2006. Print. Finlay, George. Greece Under the Romans: A Historical View of the Condition of the Greek Nation ...; B.c.146 - A.d.717. Edinburgh: Blockwood, 1844. Print. Mommsen, Theodor, William P. Dickson, and Leonhard Schmitz. The History of Rome. London: Richard Bentley, 1871. Print. Perry, Marvin, Myrna Chase, James R. Jacob, Margaret C. Jacob, and Theodore H. Laue. Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics & Society. Boston [etc.: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. Print. Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: Volume I. Australia: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2009. Print. 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