Democracy Ancient and Modern

Abstract

The idea that democracy is in crisis is nothing new; ancient Greek commentators such as Thucydides and Plato argued that political instability was baked into democracy as a regime type, based on their observations of the failings of the direct democracy of classical Athens in fighting wars, exercising regional leadership, and even managing the economy. The Roman Republic too collapsed into a civil war, only ended by the rise of an autocracy, with a chorus of side-lined politicians from Cicero to Sallust positing a cultural decline as a significant cause of both conflict and the collective failure of the elite to resist their loss of power. In both Athens and Rome, ancient authors’ proposed remedy was often a return to past practices, a more conservative golden age when it was believed that traditional values held sway. Can the analysis of the classical past make a meaningful contribution to modern debates about strengthening democracy and encouraging political engagement?