During this period the city of Athens was governed by generals. They numbered to ten in total. Citizens existed in clans and they would elect the generals each year. The political structure during this time was constituted of the magistrates, the assembly of the people and the council of Boule. Magistrates majorly formed the administration of the state of Athens. The assembly of the people was a democratic organ. It was a summon assembly that was attended by the people. It was a summon that took place 40 times a year.
It functioned in designing and proposing laws and decrees. The council of Boule comprised 50 members each from the 10 clan s in the city of Athens, making a total of 500 members. It was an extension of the Assembly of the people. They functioned in overseeing that the magistrates did their work accordingly and also examining and studying new legal projects. They also had a keen look at the state’s external affairs. However the political structure in Ancient Western receives a reformation as a result of change during the renaissance period.
There is an experience of both social and intellectual revolution. There is more focus on religious leaders and the original political structure is ineffective. Some leaders gained their positions through outdoing their predecessors through wars. For instance in 1521 during the period of counter-reformation Charles V tried to make Luther renounce himself. This time saw two major religions i. e. Lutheranism and Catholicism that were trying to rule the Roman Empire. In 15555 a peace treaty known as the Peace of Augsburg put an end to the war in the Holy Roman Empire.
This period also realized America’s colonization. Thousands of people left Europe with the aim of starting new lives in America. Soon America realized that it had colonies spreading across the continent. In both the cases a political leader was present but the influence of religion had a great impact on their political organization. For instance during the ancient Western civilization period, the King of England Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church after it forbided him from divorcing his wife. The Anglican Church was then created.
Economically The economy in ancient Athens was based on maritime commerce and depended on tax. Other minor levies were realized from custom fines and fees. Rich citizens were levied incase of wars and were also permanently levied for the good of the city. Agriculture was not a major source since it yielded inefficient amounts of food. The City therefore imported food. They had an Artisanal industry that made them realize foreign exchange. The economy during Ancient western civilization was greatly affected by the age of discovery.
There was a rediscovery of Greek cartography in Europe. People had a great interest in sailing. New boundaries were set by different scholars and this saw an enormous slave trade during this period. There was also the emergence of trade disputes during this period. The major comparison in the above discussed periods is that in both the times there existed foreign trade for instance during the ancient Athens period they had to import food from outside their city since they had minimal Agricultural output. The Ancient Western civilization experienced slave trade. Socially
The people of Athens were so much known to be Mythological during this period. The state of Athens oversaw most and mainly major religious festivals. They had a number of gods that they gave attribute to e. g. they celebrated the Panathenaia festival in giving attribute to goddess Athena. A patriarchal society existed in Athens. This system defined a place of a woman as totally caring of the homes. Men had the rights to access education and power. Some women were selectively picked to receive education so that they would be capable of having complex conversations with men.
The Ancient Western civilization does not have a particular social life. This is because during the age of discovery cultures were adopted by different people. For instance the Native Americans saw some animals that they had never seen before e. g. Horses. This saw the ancient civilization period experiencing a dramatic exchange of cultures hence no one could define a culture as belonging to one particular group. The ancient Western civilization does not have clear cut lines on the roles of man and woman in the society. References. Jeannine De Handtsheer, Karl A. bE, Enentkel.
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