The Achaeans and the Europeans: An Interdisciplinary Comparison of Federations

Abstract

In the present essay we undertake the comparison of two federations, the ancient Greek Achaean with the European Union (EU). We present the institutional (political and economic) set up of the Achaean federation and then we proceed to a comparison between them under a specific set of criteria and discuss differences and similarities. We conclude offering some insights concerning democratisation and cohesion based on the institutional organization of the ancient Greek federation. We found that some of the basic Achaean federal institutions could be served as a benchmark for the further promotion of democratic procedures and social cohesion in economic terms in the European Union.