Western Political Influences

The three main influences on Western political thought were the Greeks and Romans, the Judeo-Christian beliefs, and the Enlightenment; these influences were pertaining to the ideas of the government and individualism. Western political thought is a subject most U.S. Americans don’t consciously ask themselves: “why do I think this way?” The U.S. Americans just usually shrug it off and continue doing what comes so naturally to them. The western political thought is complex, filled with rich and vibrant history, with multiple ideas happening at once. The three prominent influences were the Greco-Romans, Judeo-Christian, and the Enlightenment. These time periods each helped focus on main parts of the western political thought, the government and individualism. It was alike to a three act play; each era is the setting of each act, the government and individualism are the main characters. Unlike Game of Thrones, these main characters live long enough to develop into the current western political thought. The Greeks …show more content…
Individually, they formed their own opinions on the best government, the duty of government, equality, liberty, and the state of nature; they then conversed on which was the correct answer. All opinions were respected, letting individualism shine during the Enlightenment. While talking about governments, the English were afraid to voice their opinions for horror of those who were punished for their insolence to the king; the French, on the other hand, published many books about Democracy and individualism, and the king allowed what he believed to be “academic” dialogues. Even women published books, which had almost never occurred. The discussion of individualism evolved and included slaves and women, who were believed to have no rights. These salons led to the eventual belief, here in the U.S.A., that women and slaves are equal to white