(Benjamin Constant) political theory and freedom

What, according to Constant, are the main differences between ancient and modern conceptions of liberty?

the ancients focused on political liberty, the ability to actively and wholly participate in politics, requires $$ and the sacrifice of time; achieved this with direct democracy

modernity focuses on individual liberty but giving up that political control, achieved through a republic/representative democracy

what are the differences between a representative democracy/a republic and a direct democracy?

in a rep democracy, people vote for one person to represent them and directly vote on political issues whereas in a direct democracy, people vote directly on those same issues

why is Constant worried about representative democracy?

we have no right to recall, we are at the whim of the rep we elect, because we are so large the political position of the individual is worth less; we cannot keep our rep accountable and keep our individual rights unless we pay attention and lots of people do not want to

why did we change from a direct to a representative democracy?

we got too big, modernity leans towards peace which means people had to learn to plan ahead (people had less time and $$)

how do we improve the representative democracy and get some of the advantages of a direct democracy?

idk we need to compromise some of our personal freedoms to gain more political freedom (to engage in politics directly)