Sparta was the first known functioning democracy. This was 150 years before the introduction of democracy in Athens.

They were a thinly populated state but they were greatly celebrated and was one of the most powerful cities.

The Spartan Constitution was written by Xenophon, a foreign dweller into the land of Sparta. Without his work, we wouldn't have any accounts on how the Spartan life became.

The idea of people as consumers took shape before WWI, but it became more common in America in the 1920s.

People have always consumed the basics of life - food, clothing, shelter. They had to work to get them, but there was little economic motive for increased consumption among the masses. Attempts to promote new fashions and boost sales slowly increased as the pursuit of wealth extended beyond the very rich.