The Underestimated Role Citizens

Play in Politics
Claire Stapleton

History 134

24 April 2017
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From ancient times until present day, there has been a significant change in the way that

politics and government works around the world. But, while the changes are certainly noticeable,

one thing has not really changed, it has only developed further: the role our citizens play in the

fate of our government. While in ancient times some citizens around the world did not have a say

in who controlled their government, the evolution of democracy has given the people a large

responsibility in who we choose to govern.

Many people feel that they play no role in our government, that political subjects are out

of our control and are left up to the talking heads. Dating far back into ancient history, people

have always had some sort of control even when they dont realize it. There have been several

times in history where people were given no choice in government and political matters but have

still fought for a better society.

For example, we can look at the plebs in the Roman Republic. There was a clear division

in levels of society; there were the patricians, who had government control, and the plebians,

who had no say in politics (Wasson)1. The unequal role of power left citizens restless and looking

for a change. The poorest of the city made up most of the army, and they began to question why

they didnt fight for a change. Thus, the plebs revolted and went on strike, and did not let down

until they were awarded representation and an assembly of their own (Wasson). This helped pave

the way for the beginning of democracy in ancient Rome.

The history of democracy began in Athens. There was a lack of consistency with laws and an

uneven balance of power, with many of the areas poorest citizens enslaved to the wealthier

citizens. The first laws that addressed this problem were considered too severe, so the lawmaker

1 Donald Wassons article for the Ancient History Encyclopedia covers the main aspects of the Roman Republic,
ranging from the beginning to its downfall and what was important in between.
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Solon was called upon to make changes (Mark)2. Solon created laws that equalized power

between politicians and civilians, laying the foundation for democracy (Mark). Solon eventually

stepped down from power, and after a series of struggles with other lands, Cleisthenes officially

instituted a new form of government (Mark). This new form of government would become

recognized as Democracy. With democracy, citizens now had a say and a choice in who to

appoint for their government. This foundation of democracy was extremely important and

essential in developing the government for future generations to come.

Another example of people realizing their power was in imperial China. Powerful families took

the throne, and there was a period of time with extremely strict laws and severe punishments. In

the Qin Dynasty, Legalism was the law and if people did not behave accordingly, they were

enslaved or even beheaded (Peralta)3. When the ruler of the Qin Dynasty, Shi Huangdi, died, the

Qin Dynasty underwent a series of battles in the fight for a new emperor (Signaling in the Qin

Dynasty)4. Eventually, the Qin Dynasty collapsed, and a new dynasty was formed. Things

changed in the Han Dynasty. Legalism was dissolved, and the country had a period of cultural

and economical success. There was a halt, however, in the Han Dynasty. Wang Man, a

government official, took control of the country and declared a new dynasty that he called Xin

2 Joshua Marks article for the Ancient History Encyclopedia offers a great resource for understanding ancient
Athens, especially politics and the development of democracy.

3 Gabriel Peraltas Ancient History Encyclopedia article greatly explains the importance of the Qin Dynasty in
uniting China, and its severe form of government, Legalism.

4 Signaling in the Qin Dynasty discusses what happened after the death of Shi Huangdi and the struggles and
eventual downfall of the Qin Dynasty.
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(meaning new) (Violatti)5. In the new dynasty, there was again an uneven distribution of

power. There was a serious gap in between the rich and the poor, and Man deepened that gap

even further by redistributing the land of the wealthy across the nation to the peasants (Violatti).

After 14 years of unending struggles and dissatisfaction, the people of the Xin Dynasty revolted

and overthrew the government, beheading Wang Man (Violatti). This was another turning point

in history that was in the peoples hands, and without the citizens realizing their power, no

changes would have been made.

The most important thing I have learned from our ancient ancestors throughout history was to

recognize my power as a citizen, and to remember that my voice and opinion do matter. When

you think about it, there are far more of us than there is of them. We dont realize the power

we have in numbers. In different periods of times, we as citizens have used our voice, influenced

governments, and played great roles in developing more positive societies. Today, we have the

right to vote, which is an amazing thing. We can literally decide the future of our government

and our society. But, so many of us dont exercise our democratic rights and do not vote. In the

2016 election, out of 231 million eligible voters, over 90 million did not vote (Levine)6. I can

think of numerous people that have told me theyre not even registered to vote, because their

votes dont count and their opinion doesnt matter. It looks like 90 million other people thought

the same thing. One person thinks that their voice is not heard, but think about how things could

5 Cristian Violattis article is an excellent source of information on the Han Dynasty, covering the origin, struggles,
and legacy of the great dynasty.

6 Daniel Levines article on the statistics of the 2016 election shows the severe number of eligible Americans that
did not exercise their right to vote compared to those that did, and how it effected the turnout of the election.
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have ended up much different if there had been an additional 90 million votes. Those voices add

up fast.

So many citizens today have such a negative outlook on the government and politics, but we

have been so fortunate to have democracy, and people dont realize that we are very lucky to

have a say in the future of our country. We dont have to overthrow our government or start wars

to make a change. All we have to do is realize our worth in playing a role in society, and we can

begin to make changes ourselves.

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Works Cited

Levine, Daniel S. "Over 90 Million Eligible Voters Didnt Vote in the 2016 Presidential

Election." Heavy.com. N.p., 10 Jan. 2017. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

This article discusses the statistics of the 2016 election and the turnout of voters, and the

massive amount of eligible Americans that didnt vote.

Mark, Joshua J. "Athens." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Joshua Marks article provides in depth information about the origin of Athens, the

government and development of democracy, and its eventual end.

Peralta, Gabriel. "Qin Dynasty." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 24 Apr.

2017.

Peraltas article about the Qin Dynasty focuses on the main aspects of the harsh but

important time in Chinese history, touching on the unification of China and the

brutal time of Legalism, and ending with the downfall of the Qin.

"Signaling in the Qin Dynasty." Journal of Political Economy 116.1 (2008): n. pag. Web. 24 Apr.

2017.

This article provides great details about the fall of the Qin Dynasty, and the struggle and

battles for a new emperor following Shi Huangdis death.

Violatti, Cristian. "Han Dynasty." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 27 May 2013. Web. 24

Apr. 2017.
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Han Dynasty has a vast amount of great information about the Han Dynasty, focusing

on the main aspects of the period in history as well as smaller yet important

developments of the time.

Wasson, Donald L. "Roman Republic." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 07 Apr. 2016. Web.

24 Apr. 2017.

Wassons article on the Roman Republic is an excellent source of information about the

changes in government in this period of Rome, as well as other facts on the origin

and end of the empire.