Maria Daniella B.

Santos 153847
2 BS Legal Management August 23, 2016
Reflection Paper 1

1. Throughout the age of Ancient Greece, there were three notable strengths that
led to its rise to power. First would be its faculty for criticism. According to
Reilly (2004), three years after the destruction of tyranny, Cleisthenes used his
influence to carry out numerous reforms (p. 89, para. 3). By recognizing the
need for these reforms, and by carrying them out, Cleisthenes was able to
improve their system of living. This is highly notable due to the fact that by
acknowledging the errors in the old system, it was able to make Ancient Greece
even greater. Also, it implies that in achieving greatness, be it in micro or macro
scales, one must first recognize all the faults within themselves. Another
notable strength would be their high regard for education. The Greeks—
though as discussed in class, most of the fundamentals of the sciences were
proposed by them during this time—were not only concerned about textbook
knowledge. For the likes of the philosophers such as Socrates and Plato, they
loved to question. One remarkable question in the excerpt provided from Plato’s
The Republic was “[c]an theory ever be fully realized in practice?” (p.99, para.
7). From an outsider’s perspective, the thirst for expanding their knowledge for
their benefit can clearly be seen. This thirst can be said to have shown the
Greeks the way to their greatness. Lastly, there is their government. As
mentioned in the first strength, Cleisthenes carried out reforms for the people’s
benefit. It could be said that if it were it not for these reforms, the people who
regarded him their leader would have probably felt closed off from him or that
there were needs were neglected. As seen in the excerpt from Plato’s The
Republic, it states in one of the dialogues that “[t]he law is not concerned to
make any one class specially happy, but to ensure the welfare of the
commonwealth as a whole” (p. 104-105, para. 11). This shows how much the
government aimed to include each and every one of their citizens towards their
pursuit for greatness.

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2. On the other side of it, Ancient Rome also had remarkable strengths that led to
their rise to power. One would be its social class. As mentioned in Reilly’s
World’s of History: A Comparative Reader, there was the Emperor (p. 169,
para. 3), the governing class (p. 169, para. 2), the publicani (p. 164, para. 2),
and the patrons (p. 170, para. 6). In dividing the people through their social
classes, it became easier to govern the people. By doing so, it also instigated
a more systematized Empire. From a different perspective, it can also be said
that in dividing the people into their social classes, it enabled the Emperor and
those with highly ranked positions to note which of the people were most in
need of their assistance and which of these could provide more for the Empire.
Next, there is the job specialization. Each member of empire was appointed
a responsibility such as for the publicani, they were expected to carry out
economic activities (p. 164, para. 2) and as for the patrons, they gave advice
on careers as well as gave numerous letters of recommendation (p.171, para.
1). These responsibilities needed to be upheld. In that sense, it gave each
person a role in society. In turn, that enabled people to feel a sense of
belongingness and love for the Empire. Their love for the Empire can be said
to be the drive in which assisted the Romans to achieve greatness. Lastly, there
is its government. As mentioned in the previous two strengths, there are social
classes and job specializations. The government plays an important role in
making sure that these tasks and responsibilities are carried out properly. “For
what trouble is it to govern those over whom you are set, if you: do but govern
yourself?” (p. 165, para. 3). Through this quote, it can be said that the
government officials appointed are expected to be the ones who lead their
people to the path of greatness, which is mainly because of their love for their
empire.

3. After stating strengths that led Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome to power
respectively, it can be said that three characteristics of which makes up a strong
civilization are government, faculty for criticism, and education. First, there is
government. Without a strong and goal-oriented government, a civilization
loses it chance at improvement and development. A civilization needs a form
of government that leads its people towards their success. Moreover, as seen
through Cleisthenes’ example of providing a government that addresses the
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needs of its people, it is also important to form a proper relationship between a
people and its government. It is in a proper bond of both entities that a
civilization can easily achieve greatness due to the fact that it possesses the
utmost support of its people. Next, there is faculty for criticism. In achieving
greatness, there will be times that problems arise. There are times that even
those in power or those with notable knowledge will not be able to solve these
problems given the systems of government that they were used to. However, it
is also in these times that these people must be able to acknowledge that there
are problems present in order to find a solution that addresses them. A vital
step towards making a strong civilization is acknowledging its faults. Lastly,
there is education. It is incredibly important that knowledge be one of the pillars
of a civilization. It enables the civilization to grow and improve as a people.
Also, it is a common ground that enables people to question authority, like
Socrates among many other philosophers did. Moreover, it is a vital
characteristic of a strong civilization because education is one of the few things
in life that can never be taken away from a person.

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 Works Cited

Reilly, Kevin. (2004). Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader (pp. 87-90, 90-96, 96-
106, 164-168, 168-172). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

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