Political Systems of the Athenians and Egyptians
When comparing the political systems of ancient Egypt and the Athenians, one must consider the differences between the two societies to fully appreciate them. Analyzing them today allows us to identify their separate strengths and weaknesses in comparison to what they have accomplished and/or changed.Ancient Greece was revolutionary in its time, building on theories from earlier societies such as the Middle East and the Egyptians. Athens is perhaps best-known for its democracy, due to the fact that the Ancient Greeks were the inventors of democracy. One of the central features of Athenian democracy was the direct participation of the people, attending "assemblies" to decide on policies. Known as citizens, these people would meet ten times annually to discuss and make final decisions regarding policies. Everyone in attendance would have a say in how matters would be dealt with. The citizens would govern themselves on monthly and yearly bases. Estimates suggest that there were never more than 50,000 citizens, and a quorum of 6000 citizens was needed to make a decision for citizens' rights. This tells us that a substantial number of citizens were involved at any given time, thus being true democracy (Arblaster, 1987).
Second and most notably is the fact that in Egypt, individuality was stressed. Egyptian civilizations flourished, mainly because of strongly established administration and governmental systems. It is understandable why the Greeks chose to model something as important as their political system after the Egyptians'. All in all, both were revolutionary. The state central administrative machinery comprised of a number of large departments which assigned all administrative functions of the state. So as not to infringe on the rights of the people, most offices were filled for limited amounts of time, not allowing any one official to remain in power for too long. In the Old Kingdom, the state institutions were clearly defined with specific duties either in the royal court, government or the administrative machinery or the consultative councils; ministerial posts were established later. Few weaknesses existed in the system of the Egyptians, namely the fact that government officials earned astronomical amounts of money, which created ample opportunities for corruption. Among the modern world, Egypt is the most ancient country as far as legal systems are concerned. Because the people wanted full participation for all, not just the elite, they offered incentives (Arblaster). Unlike in Greece, women and men in Egypt enjoyed full equality in matters of property, business, and inheritance. They were excluded from the democratic process, along with slaves and foreigners; a practice common in ancient civilizations. The principal group within this group was women, who made up half of the population. The foundations and trends laid by these two societies are still at work today and can be seen in prosperous, industrialized nations such as the United States, Great Britain, and many others. Essentially, the king established himself at the top of the government, and delegated authority in the form of regional administrators and mayors.
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