Modern democracy have been influenced by many traditions and governments throughout time. Athens, a Greek city state, had a direct democracies where all citizens voted. Rome had a republic where people voted for others to represent them in government. However the Jews and Christians didn't have a government. Instead they followed the Ten Commandments, a set of moral laws given to them by their god, which set a precedent for many cultures and cities. Now while Judeo-Christian tradition, Athens, and the Roman Republic all had a significant impact on the development of democracy, the Roman Republic had the greatest and longest lasting effect as many governments in present day countries have representative democracies.
Now, Judeo-Christian tradition, Athenian democracy, and the roman republic all had one trait in common: They all stressed the importance of individuals. Judeo-Christian prophets opposed tyranny and stressed freedom and equality. The Athenians heavily emphasized the role of the common man in government and say that anyone who doesn't participates is useless. For the Romans both the rich and poor served in government and was allowed their say, even if they had no other power. Now, for example, in the U.S.A. every citizen can vote and run for positions in government. Additionally both the Romans, Jews, and Christians had their own written law, the Twelve Tables and the Ten commandments. The written law allowed everyone to know the laws and created the idea that everyone is equal under the law. A modern example would be the U.S. constitution and laws, which every citizen is allowed to see and/or look up. Furthermore the Athenians and the Romans both elected people for office, a practice still done today in many countries. As illustrated by the evidence above , Judeo-Christian tradition, Athens, and the roman republic all affected the development of democracy immensely.
Even though modern democracy was influenced by many different traditions and governments, the heaviest influence came from none other than the Roman Republic.
