Question

How did the Athenian democracy and the Roman Republic differ in terms of governance and structure? Please choose the option that best describes this contrast: A. The Athenian democracy was a direct democracy, where citizens directly participated in decision-making, while the Roman Republic was a representative democracy with elected officials making decisions on behalf of the people. B. In the Athenian democracy, political power was held by a council of aristocrats, while in the Roman Republic, power was distributed among elected officials and a senate. C. The Athenian democracy was characterized by an emperor with absolute authority, whereas the Roman Republic had a council of elders who made important decisions. D. Both the Athenian democracy and the Roman Republic had a similar structure, with citizens casting votes to elect their leaders in a representative system.

Answer 1

The Athenian democracy, a form of direct democracy, allowed all citizens to participate directly in decision-making. In contrast, the Roman Republic was a representative democracy in which citizens elected officials to make decisions on their behalf. The rights in both systems were not universal and generally limited to free adult male citizens.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Athenian democracy and the Roman Republic had significant differences in terms of governance and structure. The Athenian democracy was a form of direct democracy, where every citizen, specifically free adult males, had an equal opportunity to participate in decision-making directly. Citizens could attend meetings of the Assembly, propose laws, and vote on them. Not all residents could participate, as the rights were limited only to free adult male citizens.

On the other hand, the Roman Republic was more of a representative democracy, where the citizens elected officials to make decisions on their behalf. Their society was divided into two classes - patricians, the aristocratic elite, and plebeians, the common people. Public matters were resolved by various legislative assemblies and elected officials. While patricians dominated the earlier Republican period, plebeians gradually attained more legal and political equality.

Therefore, the Athenian democracy was characterized by more direct participation of citizens, while the Roman Republic utilized a representative system where citizens elected officials to represent them.

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