Ancient Rome and the United States of America
Although separated by two millenniums there are astonishing similarities between the American state and the Roman Republic. In this posting I will discuss the links between Ancient Rome and the 21st super power equivalent, the United States of America in terms of two different aspects, architecture and political organisation.
Firstly, I will discuss the links and similarities between the architecture of Ancient Rome and the United States of America today. With the use of the arch and improvements of concrete ancient Romans were able to shape spectacular bridges and buildings such as the Aqueduct of Segovia and the Pantheon. Ancient Romans intended that public buildings should be made to impress, as well as perform a public function. It is this form of architecture that has influenced many buildings in the United States today. With the mighty pillars, domes and arches having a clear influence on such state buildings as the United States Capitol, the White House and the Lincoln Memorial. This relation between Roman Architecture and the United States shows how they are linked not only physically but by the intention of the buildings also.
The political organisation of the Roman Republic influenced the system used in the United States today. Although originally it was made up of wealthy landowners, the civilians of Ancient Rome were unsatisfied by their lack of power in the government and began to protest until they were allowed to elect officials to represent and protect their needs. The officials had the right to decline any proposed laws that they believed were not beneficial for the people they represented and this gave the people of the Roman Empire a certain amount of control. This idea had been adapted by the US Congress and keeps the president from holding absolute power.
Another significant difference between the two political organisations is the concept of ‘bread and circuses’. In Ancient Rome, citizens would be provided with literally bread and circuses free of charge to keep their bellies full and their minds distracted, distracted from politics and to favour the votes of new citizens. It was simply used as a means of gaining political power. Such ways of distracting the population can be seen today in the United States with “around 43 million U.S. Citizens on food stamps” (Ernharth, 2011, para.9), and the NFL, NBA, NHL being aired weekly. Also, the US Government spent $2.2 billion on the “Obamaphone” campaign in order to gain votes for Obama in 2012. This was simply providing people with free phones, most of whom did not question the fact of why they were receiving them, they were just happy to get them.
When comparing the links between Ancient Rome and the United States of America it is clear that there are similarities in a number of different ways. Here I have discussed just two instances in terms of the architecture and the political organisation.
References.
Ernharth, S. R. (2011). Bread and Circuses. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from Ernharth Group website: http://ernharth.com/economic-commentaries/bread-and-circuses/
Ibeji, M. ( 2011). Empires of Absent Mind: Rome and the USA. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/empiresofabsentmind_article_01.shtml
Smith, C. (2012). Obama 's Bread and Circus. Retrieved April 14, 2013 from Hubpages website: http://cassiesmith.hubpages.com/hub/Obamas-Bread-and-Circus
Strauss, S. (2012). 8 Striking Parallels Between The US and the Roman Empire. Retrieved April 14, 2013 from Salon website: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/8_striking_parallels_between_the_u_s_and_the_roman_empire/
Ancient Roman Architecture. (2013). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 14, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_architecture
References: Ernharth, S. R. (2011). Bread and Circuses. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from Ernharth Group website: http://ernharth.com/economic-commentaries/bread-and-circuses/ Ibeji, M. ( 2011). Empires of Absent Mind: Rome and the USA. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/empiresofabsentmind_article_01.shtml Smith, C. (2012). Obama 's Bread and Circus. Retrieved April 14, 2013 from Hubpages website: http://cassiesmith.hubpages.com/hub/Obamas-Bread-and-Circus Strauss, S. (2012). 8 Striking Parallels Between The US and the Roman Empire. Retrieved April 14, 2013 from Salon website: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/8_striking_parallels_between_the_u_s_and_the_roman_empire/ Ancient Roman Architecture. (2013). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 14, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_architecture
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