Ancient Greece: Monarchy, Oligarchy And Democracy

Ancient Athens was not truly democratic because the middle class was in charge of politics. The upper and lower classes were not in politics at all. It was not democratic because the only people that could vote were men who are of citizen birth by both parents. People whose parent is a slave could not become a citizen so they could not vote. Democracy was excluding women, free foreigners and slaves.

Monarchies were ruled by one family, with a direct blood relative (a son) inheriting the throne and a claim

Oligarchy comes from the Greek words “oligos” meaning “few” and “archo” meaning “rule”. Essentially “oligarchy” means “rule of the few in their own interests and not in the interest of the majority or the public good.” (Melville, 2011). Melville states that oligarchy was a “degeneration” of aristocracy as stated by Aristotle. Oligarchies were the most common form of government in the Ancient Greek city-states. In Sparta, the Gerousia (council of twenty-eight men over sixty-year of age together with the two kings) was an elite assembly dominated by the wealthier members of Spartan society. The Gerousia approved all laws that were submitted to the popular assembly for vote. The Ephors were a group of five men who were elected annually for a single term of office. The Ephors usually deferred to the guidance of the Gerousia (Brand, n.d.).

It was usually a tyranny, a form of monarchy or a select group of people. The Greek states could either be ruled by a single individual, such as monarchs and tyrants, or a select group of people, an oligarchy, or every male citizen, which was a democracy. Also the idea of a democracy was regarded as the Greeks' greatest contribution to civilizations of today. But actually monarchies were rare and often not distinguished from a tyranny unless the hereditary ruler was really kind and ruled in the interest of his people rather than himself. But tyrants were not necessarily considered evil, rather they were considered rulers that were just looking out for themselves.“The most famous monarchies were the states of Macedonia and Epiros, where the ruler shared power with an assembly of people” (Cartwright). The Ancient Greek government went through a lot of changes, but, unlike the government, the military stayed

Let’s see what is Monarchy? It is a king or queen who gets all the powers of authority from inheritance and power stays in the same family, usually the bloodline from father to son. In Ancient Greeks, there weren’t too many monarchies, but there was some present and even Athens went under the monarchy at the end of the classical period which ended with the death of Alexander the Great. His father Phillip II of Macedon who became king after the deaths of his two brothers conquered Athens after the Peloponnesian war and ended democracy in the great city of Athens. (Wasson, 2014)

However, Greek tyrants were not necessarily evil rulers, they simply looked after their own interests (e.g. Pisistratus' rule in Athens). Sparta avoided tyranny, probably because of the need for unity amongst citizens against helots. As Tyranny governments have the tendency at being insecure, and try to maintain their power by becoming increasingly oppressive; they decline in ancient Greece because tyrants became greedy and harsh and were overthrown. Democracy is the rule by the people (governance by the people). Democracy was based on principle that all citizens of the city-state of Athens had right to attend and speak at assembly (women, slaves & metics were not citizens).

The level of power sharing was different in a specific city-state. Sparta’s ruled by was oligarchy, the method by which governing was in the hands of a small unit of men. Corinth was ruled through tyranny (governance by which a tyrant took over political power by force). On the other hand, Athens developed a democratic system that allowed male citizens to share in its political power. The free inhabitants of Greek polis were offered citizenship, rich and poor alike. Male citizens were able to vote in regards to issues that concerned the government of their polis. It was expected that those who had political rights should participate in government affairs. Slaves and those born outside the polis were not given citizenship or allowed to vote. Though women had legal rights they were also not allowed to vote.

Over 2000 years ago, two great civilizations were established. They each made advancements in technology and science that laid the groundwork for what we have now. They have been depicted in movies and books, but what elements of those were true? Hollywood may be entertaining, but it’s not always correct.

One ancient Greek contribution that continues to influence our lives today is government. In ancient Greece, there were four different types of Greek political structures that controlled Greek city-states. These political structures were Monarchy, ruled by a king; Aristocracy, ruled by nobility; Oligarchy, ruled by a small group of citizens; and Direct Democracy, ruled by it's citizens. Direct Democracy influences our lives today. In 508 B.C., Democracy began in Athens.

Monarchy: means the government of a person. In the context of ancient Greece it was hereditary and the power was exercised by a king, a Polis whose government was a monarchy was the city-state of Corinth. The power was recognized and had been taken in a legal manner. In ancient Greece this form of government was rare and was distinguished from tyranny by the benevolence of the hereditary ruler (Cartwright, 2018).

The monarchy system was given all the full decision power to the kings to make lows, lead the army, work as a judge and set taxes without any restriction, but had advised by his council members. (Prospectridge Academy, 2016). The monarchy system has similarity with oligarchy and tyranny because the ruler considered a king of the city-states, but in the monarchy only one king was ruled unlike the oligarchy which power shared between two three powerful men. However, in both monarchy and oligarchy only the kings pass the law and the wealth people benefited.

Athens was known to be more of a democracy. A democracy is when a group of people share control in running the government. In the year 507 B.C., the Athenian leader Cleisthenes introduced a system of political reforms that he called demokratia, or “rule by the people” (History.com Staff). All men of the age 18 and older were considered citizens in Athens. There was a council of five hundred men over the age of thirty were to run the day to day business of government.

During the 7th century, ancient Greece’s political system had begun to radically change with the rise of the tyrants. It is generally accepted that the Greek tyrants overthrew the aristocracy in order to acquire their power; however the reasons behind the tangible actions are highly debated. Many scholars disagree on the motives and the intentions behind the usurpers, citing money and a deep-seated desire for power as their primary reasons. Some believe, however, that the tyrants wished to improve the socioeconomic situation for the general population by removing the aristocracy from power. Although the tyrants had different intentions, they provided a necessary shift in Greece’s political system, which would eventually evolve towards a more

The Greeks, despite never being lead by a single leader are known as a single people. This is due to the culture that was spread across the landmass of Greece being so similar to each other but yet the individuals are still highly memorable. Even someone who has not heard of Socrates, the Persian Wars, or Sparta can recognize things that were heavily inspired by the Greeks. In which I believe the political system of democracy, the taking down of history, and way that battles in war occur are the most prominent. In this paper, I will be attempting to cover these ideals in great detail in an attempt to educate you over this rather mythical topic.

In Ancient Greece, from the time of 800B.C. to 150B.C., mathematics was going through large amounts of progressive advancement and stimulating intellectual investigation. “People asked questions and wondered about life. They also pondered the meaning of existence and wether it held any significance beyond what they could see before them.” The people during this time would gather together, share wine, and discuss the wonders of the world. This leisure time occurred because of the back breaking work of the countless slaves— that made up the majority of the population of Greece.