填空题 Democracy is not a new conception. The ancient Athenians 1
had a democratic system. Their democracy was the same as
American democracy in many ways. Furthermore, there are 2
several important differences between their democracy and ours.
The ancient Athenian citizens voted for
their representatives, and they also voted for certain issues. 3
Moreover, any qualified citizen could become public official. The 4
ancient Athenian democratic government also protected the
citizens" right private property, encouraging private business and 5
supported public education.
A similar system of representative government exists in the
United States. United States citizens vote for their
representatives, and they can impeach representatives, too. 6
American citizens also vote on certain important matters. In the
United States, like in ancient Athens, any qualified citizen can 7
become a public official. The government of this country also
protects private property, encourages private business enterprise.
and supports public education.
The major difference between these two forms of
democracy is the definition of citizen. In ancient Athens a
citizen was a free man, not a woman and a slave. Women and 8
slaves were largest part of the population; thus, the Athenian 9
democracy was not broadly representative. In the United States,
however, all American men and women, of all races and
religions, are citizens. Slavery is legal in this country. 10
Therefore, American democracy is more broadly representative.
In brief, democracy is an old and varied concept. In the
Past it meant different things to many different people.