Ideas of John Locke and de Montesquieu were influential because they appealed to:- the idea of popular sovereignty, - the idea that government should serve the people,- the ideas about equality, natural right and social contract between people and its government.
The roots of the Orthodox Church are in Catholicism.
Military draft and vote. Controversial as women still left out
Oligarchy comes from the greek word "oligos" which means " a few" and the word "archos" which means "to Govern", so it is a government system where all the power is gathered by a small group of people, usually richest families in the city or country, it isn´t seen as an open democracy because not only they run the destinities of the country but also develop and create the rules, the law, and manage all the system. Back then we also could find that power in the hands of the oldest men in the country who controlled everything and had a lot of economic power.
Assuming you're referring to the American landscape, the main reason why most of the buildings on the plantation were built at the front of the mansion was so slave owners could monitor the slaves.