Athens and Florence - Essay Example

Athens and Florence Athens and Florence The political structure of Athens during its Golden Age was democratic. King Solon transformed Athenian democracy at the onset of Athens’ golden age. This political restructuring was significant to overall Greece since it led the country out of a volatile era and into its Golden Age. Social features of Athens during this era entailed multiple conflicts that King Solon too helped alleviate. King Solon had to mediate diverse groups that were in social strife to allow for Athens’ economic progress.

Lastly, a major cultural element of Athens during its golden age is the growth of tragic drama, which became an openly braced art conducted in front of mass viewers. Freestanding sculpture became a popular culture amongst artists in Athens between 300 and 400 BCE. Political structures of renaissance Florence comprised of city-states wherein a more or fewer residents shared authority. This made politics slightly core complex for Italy considering the rest of Europe during this era had monarchial structures of government.

City-states in Florence made oath-making and duties a world of civil conflicts amongst leaders. By 1425, Florence had a population of 60,000 with twelve artist guilds acting as a foundation for social life. These guilds controlled social influences within Florence through highly held positions. Lastly, culture in renaissance Florence depended largely on wealth. A trend for self-marketing by merchant guilds slowly turned into a cultural feature of Florence and its renaissance benefaction. Wealthy individuals reveled in personal adoration and spiritual prosperity that founded Florence’s culture during the 1400s.

The most important similarity between Athens during its golden age and renaissance Florence is their introduction of democratic or representative types of administration, profound literature, and art into their respective regions. The most important difference between these two cities is that Athens serves a model for determining accomplishments made by western cities from the fifth to fourth centuries B.C.E. and Florence used wealth to identify its culture, government, and society.