Athenian Democracy DBQ Essay

To answer this question we must define what democracy really is, especially if one might not understand the true meaning. Democracy is the rule by the people, meaning that the people have a say in what the government does. The Athenian Democracy was the Ekklesia (Assembly), the Boule (Council of 500), and the Dikasteria. With the facts I have gathered, ancient Athens was definitely not a Democracy.

“Riot is the language of the of the unheard.”Back around the time 430B.C. democracy was beginning to be developed. Surprisingly, like all great things it took time and is still taking time to perfect to this day. Democracy is not a system of government that is unchanging it is, matter of fact, constantly up for change and perfection.

Athens was not truly a democracy. The definition of democracy states that it is a system of government by the whole population. In ancient Athens the only people that were eligible to make decisions were citizen men. Women did not have the right to vote which contradicts the definitions of democracy. Only twelve percent of the Athens population were able to vote meaning that eighty-eight percent were left powerless. Metics were not even eligible to vote and they were a key part of Athens economy.

Today, much of the world’s governments have converted to democracies. In the Ancient World, there was only one truly notable example of a democratic society: The City-State of Athens. This is actually the birthplace of democracy, where instead of the rich or powerful ruling, it was the citizens of the city-state that held the power. This advanced way of government was so effective and well structured, it even laid the foundations for the development of our own democracy, right here in the United States, over 2,000 years in the future. Prior to Athens’s collapse during the Peloponnesian War, it truly had an efficient and very organized system of government.

Was ancient Athens truly democratic? Some may say yes and some may say no. But the answer is yes. The reasons are these. “ Fear is our chief protection against this, teaching us to obey the magistrates and the laws.” (Doc. A) This was one of the many statements Thucydides gave during his speech for Pericles’s funeral. The quoted statement essentially meant that during Thucydides time (460 – 395 BCE) there were laws and government rules that had to be followed. Men, women, and even slaves obeyed the laws and government rules because they thought they made sense and had no other reason to disobey. In that case, they wouldn’t have the need to be angry at their neighbors if they were too loud. This document written by Aristotle is a great example

democracy is a form of government in which people come together and make laws for the benefit of the country for example, here in the united states people have the right to vote, have equal rights, pursuit of happiness and practice in any religion of your choice. ancient athens did not have a true democracy. In ancient athens Women, free foreigners and slaves were excluded from voting, the government body could decide if you were a citizen or not. Also, women weren't allowed to vote unless they married a citizen. Therefor there constitution did not favor democracy.

A democracy is a government that is run by the people. Greece had a direct democracy. This means all men born in Athens could vote and take part in government. In document 1, (Funeral Oration of Pericles) Pericles stated “Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators

Democracy: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is to veste in the people and exercised directly by them or by the agents they elect under a free electoral system (Dictionary.com). The definition given by Pericles states that they “favor the many instead of the few,” (Doc. A by Pericles) This would be accurate if they

I believe that Athens truly was a democracy. There are pieces of evidence and proof supporting that Athens ran on a Democratic Government.

Democracy. A democracy is a government which all the people of the state are involved in making decisions, such as voting for representatives. So was there a democracy that was set by the Athens? Or was it an oligarchy that represents how everyone is supposed to live. Although many say the athens lived a democratic life, the evidence says it itself, they didn’t.

their high standards and they were not going to change it. Athenian was most criticized for being

The ancient Athens can't truly be considered a democracy. A democracy states and means that all citizens are allowed to vote. According to the Athenian Constitution it states, “The present state of the constitution is as follows: The right to vote and participate in government is open

Democracy in modern terms is “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.” This common definition differs in a few ways to that of Athenian democracy. For example, today the law comes before the person. Meaning that the law is upheld no matter who it is or the circumstances under which a person committed an offense. In Athens the people came before the law. Who the person was and why they did what they did was though of before a decision on their guilt and punishment was conceived. Another example is the focus on one ruler versus many. In today’s democracy people are under the

Athens wasn’t truly a democratic because democracy is a system of government created by the people. (Doc. D) Demokratia was rule of male citizens only, excluding women, free foreigners(Metics) and slaves. A democracy would allow everyone to have a say or opinion in the situation not just men.

A true democracy is one that gives power to the people by letting them make choices. In the Athenian democracy, all people would take a drastic part in the government as well as society. Socrates, a philosopher, had many beliefs/teachings on Athens and the way it had been run, which included his questioned holiness of the gods, introduction of new ones, and corruption of youth. These were the harsh charges that the city of Athens had given to Socrates because of the rules of the gods and what had been established. Athens is not a true democracy due to the fact that people were prevented from voicing their perspectives, including speaking against the gods, and unjust charges against people.