Democracy and the Threat of Losing It  

We often read in newspapers about comparisons of today’s events with examples from ancient Greek and Roman history. Is our senate like the Roman senate; if you don’t like a particular leader, what Emperor is he like? Is our democracy anything like Athenian democracy, and can we learn from them? Find out more on these subjects on Tuesday, October 23 at 7:00 pm when Associate Professor John Lenz of the Classics Dept. and History & Culture graduate program at Drew University speaks at Bernardsville Public Library.

Prof. Lenz will give examples from ancient Greece and Rome of how democracy worked, how its citizens protected it, and how they lost it. Ancient Athens had full direct democracy, with ostracism and impeachment. It fell, and the first political thinkers, Plato and Aristotle, gave advice about this. Rome had a republic that moved to an empire. People became subjects not citizens. The Roman poet Juvenal said, give the people ‘bread and circuses’ and they will be happy while they lose their freedom. "It’s up to you to choose which ancient analogies might apply today," says Prof. Lenz.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.