Classical republic 1548134 165481339 2007-10-18T20:16:43Z Alksub 474502 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 162246195 by [[Special:Contributions/72.95.153.241|72.95.153.241]] ([[User talk:72.95.153.241|talk]]) {{Unreferenced|date=August 2007}} {{Original research|article|date=August 2007}} A '''classical republic''', according to certain modern political theorists, is a state of [[Classical Antiquity]] that is considered to have a [[republic]]an form of government, a state where sovereignty rested with the people rather than a ruler or monarch. These include states like [[Sparta]], [[Athens]], and the [[Roman Republic]]. The Romans used the term ''[[res publica]]'' to describe their state, but the most common sense of that term is closer to [[body politic]] or [[commonwealth]]. The phrase was coined, it seems, to distinguish the post-[[Lucius Tarquinius Superbus|Tarquin]] political system with the previous monarchy, the ''[[res privata]]''. The idea of republicanism was a creation of the [[Renaissance]]. The Renaissance scholars, most prominent among them being [[Niccolò Machiavelli]], looked back on the ancient period with great interest and reverence. They defined ''republic'' as any state that was not headed by a monarch - thus including the Spartan [[diarchy]], the Athenian [[democracy]], and the Roman ''res publica''. The Italians, themselves living in Republics like [[Florence]] and [[Venice]] (although note that the [[doge]] was an elected monarch), looked back on these states as models of social organization. They looked to the history of the classical republics and attempted to emulate their model. In particular, they saw the [[mixed government]] of Rome and Sparta as the secret to stability and the pursuit of [[civic virtue]] as the key to the citizens' well being. The theory of government based upon this Renaissance study of the past is known as [[classical republicanism]]. Other elements the classical republics shared was the central importance of [[citizenship]]. The percent of the population that were citizens was quite limited, but they also had important burdens such as [[Armed forces|military service]]. The focus on civil virtue also meant that little attention was paid to individual [[liberty|liberties]] in these states. The term classical republic is also sometimes used to describe those later states that are argued to follow the classical model. Thus the [[United States]] is sometimes called a classical republic. [[Category:Classical studies]] [[Category:Republicanism]]