Ancient Roman Thinkers About Politics, Power, the State

Abstract

The article focuses on the main distinctive features of ancient Roman political thought. The General Characteristics of the Political Life of Ancient Rome are cited. Views of Ancient Roman Thinkers on Political Foundations and Relations in a Human Society are considered. The history of ancient Roman political thought covers the whole millennium and in its evolution reflects significant changes in socio-economic and political-legal life. The history of Ancient Rome is divided into three periods: the royal period (754-510 BC), the republican (509-28 BC), the imperial (27 BC - 476 AD). In the conditions of a slave society, where slaves were not independent subjects of political life and remained only objects of another's property, the struggle for political power unfolded in the middle of the privileged minority. Ancient Roman political thought concerned power, the state and politics as a whole. Their contribution to the development of political thought was decisive for the evolution of political thought in a later period, namely in the Middle Ages. Recognition of the leading role of ancient political thought in the formation of the basic historical foundations of ancient statehood is a priority for our study. Ancient Roman authors played, indeed, a significant and out-standing role in the formation and development of modern political thought.