Democracy And The Development Of The Athenian Democracy

Approximately 2500 years ago a series of changes and reformations in political thought led to the creation of the ancient Athenian democracy. Through the changes implemented by Solon and Cleisthenes during the Golden Age of Greece, democracy was born in Athens. Although it was somewhat impractical, exclusionist, and only open to a very small percentage of the total Athenian population, its impact is still felt today. Athenian democracy is widely recognized as the model from which all other forms of democratic rule has evolved from. Through the principles handed down from that Athenian democracy, ancient Greek culture remains a prominent presence in contemporary life, particularly in regard to its democratic policies.

One mark Greece had on future societies in the West can be seen in the advancement of political order, namely democracy, which still prevails in not only the United States but across the globe. Democracy began development when Cleisthenes transformed Athens into a democratic state and took steps to protect the system of government from tyranny.1 The first period of Rome would later take from these concepts and became marked by the representative way in which they chose to govern themselves—as a republic.2

The Greek society was a direct democracy with people voting on the issues themselves instead of representatives voting on their behalf. Any male citizen over the age of eighteen was allowed to vote. Like the Romans, the Greek government was divided into separate parts. The Greek government consisted of an assembly, council, and courts, with each requiring a different number of voters present. The people all gather and vote on issues by hand, and this is the simplest form of majority rules. The role of the people is extremely important in how the society and state is governed and run. This early form a democracy was detailed by Pericles funeral oration during the Peloponnesian War. Pericles was an eminent Athenian politician who states in regards to the government of Athens, “Its administration favors the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy (Pericles, “Funeral Oration”, pp. 2)”. Here, Pericles states that the people have all the power and their opinion is highly valued. Likewise, the Romans valued the people’s opinions so highly that they entrusted with them rewards and punishments, vital aspects that held the society together. Pericles also states, “…nor again does poverty bar the way, if a man is able to serve the state, here is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition (Pericles, “Funeral Oration”, pp. 2)”. Here is the essence of democracy, every man no

The Athenians democracy was the pride and jewel of their nation. It created confidence, security, and patriotism, however, it also created an arrogant mindset which eventually leads to the downfall of their nation. Pericles states that the Athenian government was unorthodox because it was a government of the whole people rather than a minority (Thucydides 1). In addition, all Athenian citizens had the right to be apart of the government and administer justice. However,

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.

Democracy is defined as a government ruled by common people. The power of the should be in the hands of the largest class which is the poorest. The political system of ancient Athens was a Democracy, which involved all of its citizens.This system was divided in three parts: the ekklesia( a sovereign governing body who wrote the laws) the boule(representatives from the Athenian tribes) and the dikasteria, (the courts in which citizens argued cases in front of selected jurors). Every men could participate in the political process, being selected by lot to fill even the highest offices and being paid for pub- lic service. Four times a month proposals were debated and decisions were made openly so and any citizen could speak to the issues of the day.

The principal of Democracy is something that we often fail to appreciate. Democracy means a government that allows the public to be heard by having periodically held elections.

Democracy has been a huge focal point for success especially in the west with countries like America, but sometimes we can see a democracy turn corrupt. This essay will be centered around the pros and cons of democracy and its roles within the ancient Greek world that helped catapult Athens into one of the world’s greatest metropolitan cities to ever exist.

Government is a form of political structure that rules over a group of specific people and while stability is important, in most societies government is fluid in its form and changes over time. As different forms of government take power, typically the laws will favor one demographic over another. While the Athenian democracy favored the masses, oligarchic sympathizers like Pseudo-Xenophon, displayed their discontent with it. In his negative critique of Athenian democracy titled “The Constitution of the Athenians,” Pseudo-Xenophon supports the oligarchic system over the democratic one, yet still maintains a respect for the Athenian’s democracy as he comments on its longevity and stability. His commentary contrasts with the funeral oration that Pericles gave during a public funeral, where Pericles praises the strength of the Athenian democracy and its perseverance regardless of a plethora dead during the Persian Wars. Despite the differences, both as Pseudo-Xenophon and Pericles appeal to the political ideals of their audience while at the same time maintaining their own political beliefs.

Evolution of Democracy and the Athenian Constitution Democracy is defined in modern times as government by the people. To put that in perspective and better understand all that democracy entails we must consider its origins. It is surprising indeed that even today tyrannies and dictatorships exist in the world when more than two and a half thousand years ago the ancient Athenians had developed a functional and direct form of democracy. What contributed to this remarkable achievement and how it changed the socio-political scene in Athens is what will be considered in this paper.

It has been brought to our attention that some oligarchs want to shift decision-making power to a smaller Governing Council. Our direct democracy is in danger of being overthrown. Over the past 100 years and beyond, Athens has held an assembly for all adult male citizens, to participate in Athenian government. These institutions were quite large, large enough to hold each citizen of Athens (25,000-50,000), giving each individual a shot at a small role in self-governance. Citizens of Athens met in the assembly 40 or more times a year, on the Pnyx hill. The sessions began in the morning and ended at dark. The assembly makes decisions by random lottery, thus giving a fair voice and vote to all, giving equality between the rich and the poor. Now

It is antithetical to classify the political system of Ancient Athens as a “democracy”. Democracy stems from the Greek word demokratia, demo means “the people” kratia means “power” or “ruler.” The root meaning of demokratia is people power. The Athenian

Democracy comes from two Greek words: a noun demos which means, "people" and a verb, kratein, which means "to rule" (Ober 120). Democracy first appeared in Athens towards the beginning of the fifth century B.C. The biggest difference between Athenian democracy and almost all other democracies is that the Athenian version was a direct democracy rather than being representative. Democracy came about in Athens as a result of the growing navel power and the reforms made by leaders such as Cleisthenes and Pericles.

During Greece’s Golden Age, Athens became a powerful center for new ideas. Athenians developed democracy, a new form of government, which gave power to the people. Each person had a different perspective on democracy, ranging from highly supporting and recommending it to preferring other types of government. Athenians’ relationship with their democracy depended on their perspective in the matter.

Before developing one of the first democracies that existed on the earth, Athens had other forms of government, including monarchy (though that did not last very long). Even if there were other civilizations that were more established and advanced than the Greeks, they had produced “vast literatures on every human practice, as well as speculations about the origins of life and the formation of the universe”. But, tracing back to ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, is the tradition of political theory, these thinkers often analysed the state as it is. Each philosopher has a concept of what right is and what ordering is proper enough for society and government. What is conceptualized as being ‘right’ is more often than not based on some sort of justice and the “morally good life”, as it could also “derive from practical reflections about what is required to maintain peace, security and material well-being”. The word “democracy” was combined of two Greek words and when combined, the word “democracy” literally means the power of the people. Demos is the common people that are in the state. Athenian democracy differs from Canadian society in many ways, such as who would be qualified as a citizen and who can elect representatives. The Athenian government was more of a direct democracy, a democracy that allows people of the state to decide on initiatives such as to vote on or form consensus.