Katie Nguyen

Wisner

World History

1st Period

5 October 2016

Citizenship in Athens and Rome: Which Was the Better System?

Rome and Athens were two influential communities that created the foundations for

modern-day society. From architecture to literature, both of these great societies formed ideas

that changed the world forever. Out of the ideas that ancient Rome and Athens engendered, the

notion that people were citizens of a state or empire brought the focus of power from a ruler to

the people. This idea was known as citizenship. Citizenship entitles certain responsibilities and

rights to individuals within a community. It was focused on giving ordinary people a more

significant role in the life of their state as well. In this sense, Rome had a better system of

citizenship than Athens because the governing power was more organized, they were able to

control privileges and benefits in a less arbitrary way, and more people were able to become a

citizen of Rome.

To begin with, the Roman Senate was far better organized than the Athenian Assembly.

The Roman Republic had the Roman Senate, which was made up of a group of 300 men that

served for life. They were responsible for foreign relations, war policy, and the control of public

lands. They also tried cases of treason and conspiracy in Rome. This system of government was

able to last for around 465 years due to its functionality and effectiveness. Athenian Assembly

members were chosen by lottery out of the 40,000 citizens of Athens. Compared to the
Assembly, the Roman Senate gained their positions in a more proper way. Members came from

the oldest Roman families and inherited their seats. All Athenian citizens could attend the loud

and crowded meetings which kept the Assembly from getting anything done. The meetings of

the Senate, however, were more exclusive which meant that more progress could be made among

the 300 members. The members had more experience in what they were doing merely because

they were born into their seats on the Senate. In the Assembly, there was a large possibility that

elected officials were inexperienced, considering the unpredictable nature in which they were

selected. In order for a system of citizenship to be successful in a society, there has to be a

consistent governing group that properly fulfills their responsibilities alongside the citizens.

Furthermore, Romes system controlled the benefits and privileges of their citizens in a

less arbitrary way than in Athens. In Rome, citizens did not receive the same rights or the same

political participation since it was all based off of a persons class. The censors, or the

supervisors for the census of Rome, ranked every citizen into specific classes. They took into

consideration factors such as their physical and moral fitness, wealth, and administrative

competence. These factors determined the political privileges, military service, and levels of

taxation on citizens. Individuals could be demoted or promoted depending on how they met up

with the standards of the censors. This system was efficient because the state was able to reward

those that were essentially good citizens, and restricted the privileges of those that were not as

productive within their society. Censors were able to rank and re-rank the citizens every five

years. By doing so, it encouraged citizens to participate in their society by improving themselves

in order to be ranked into a higher class and have more rights. The Athenian method for

demoting the power of its citizens was too brutal and was not serving its purpose. Athenian
citizens voted for the person who had the greatest power to destroy their state; whoever got the

most votes would go into exile from their native land for ten years. This was not a sufficient

system for Athenian citizens because they were only able to exile one person per year. Rome

dealt with their threats in a fair and direct way. Demoting several individuals that did not meet

the standards of the Roman Republic seemed more logical than exiling one threatening person

per year. Unlike Athens banishing a person from their native land and taking away their rights

for ten years, demoted citizens in Rome still had some rights.

In addition, the Roman Republic was more generous in granting citizenship to its people.

Since they were more willing to grant citizenship, more people had the ability to become a

citizen. As opposed to Athens restricting it to only free and native-land adult men, Rome allowed

women, men, and the sons of freed slaves to become citizens. Women having the same right as

men is a remarkable feat, since they have always been seen as unequal to men throughout ancient

history. In spite of women being able to gain citizenship, they were not able to vote or hold

public office. They were only allowed to own property. Although their rights were limited, this

was a small step in the right direction for the equality of women. The role that slaves played in

Rome was similar to Athens. However, the sons of freed Roman slaves were able to enjoy the

benefits of citizenship. They also gave citizenship to foreigners, albeit in measured amounts.

Some foreigners had to perform military service in return for citizenship. Others could do

business, travel, and live in Rome but they could not have an official Roman marriage. This

shows that Rome gave an opportunity to women, who were seen as inferior to men in most

civilizations, and minorities in society. Rome was a society that allowed for people of different

social classes to play a role in their state.

 In conclusion, Rome had a better citizenship than Athens because the Roman Senate was

more organized, they were able to control citizens rights in a more rational way, and a more

diverse group of people had the ability to become citizens in Rome. The Roman Senate had a

complex yet viable system for their governing power which greatly helped establish order within

society. Rome managed the control of citizens rights using a method that was both practical and

just. They created a method that allowed for people of many social classes to be a part of the

state as well. Citizenship played a crucial role in both the Roman Republic and Athens. As a

result, they both viewed the role of a citizen as sacred and something that had to be protected.

Despite ancient Athens many successes, Rome was able to represent a system of citizenship that

was more effective, lawful, and innovative during their period of history. The legacy that Rome

has left as an ancient civilization still manages to influence the world today.