The political culture of the Western world in a comprehensive overview. From the Greeks and their discovery of politics and democracy, through the Romans and the Christian world, to the present day, marked by the struggle for human rights and totalitarianism, the entire spectrum of political thought is presented. Volume 2.1: The author outlines the social and political foundations of Roman politics, the ancient Roman way of life, and Roman humanism. The first attempts by Polybius and Panaetius to explain Rome's rise to world power and to provide the Roman nobility with an appropriate ethics are highlighted. The depiction of the republican era includes a detailed appreciation of the humanism, politics, and philosophy of Cicero. Chapters on Caesar and Augustus illustrate the emergence of the principate and its celebration.