If we specify the golden age of Athenian democracy, which lasted for most of the fifth
century BCE, and the Roman Republic, which lasted from the expulsion of King Tarquin in 509 BCE
to the establishment of the empire by Augustus in 27 BCE, the first point to make is that the
Roman Republic lasted for five times as long as the Athenian democracy and changed significantly
during that time. In 509 BCE, Rome was essentially a city-state like Athens. By the end of the
Republican period it was a vast, sprawling empire without an emperor. The differences between
the two civilizations therefore increased as the Roman Republic grew. In Athens, all free adult
men had voting rights. In Rome, active participation in politics was limited to a fairly small
number of Patrician and wealthy Plebeian families, and political life became notably more
corrupt towards the end of the Republic.
Both cultures gave free adult men a
high degree of personal liberty. However, Roman society made it easier for a...
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