Democracy In Ancient Greece

The leaders who instigated democracy in Athens, Greece in the 6th and 5th century BCE created a functioning system of government that attempted to benefit its citizens. However, the system of democracy included weaknesses that didn’t support all people to the best of its ability and was overthrown in the end due to war. Several significant leaders were necessary in the commencement of Athenian democracy. These included Solon, Cleisthenes and Pericles. All three had heavy influence in the establishment of democracy, but it was Pericles who truly prospered it. Solon was an aristocratic, not a democratic, but he still believed in supporting the people. Cleisthenes began land reforms which made all of Attica connected as one. Pericles made Athens

The concept of Democracy dates back to the Classic Period, otherwise known as the Golden Age of Greece. Prior to becoming a unified nation, Greece was made up of city-states that were constantly warring with one another. None of these city-states possessed full control over its neighbors. It was during this time and because of these circumstances that there was great advancement in Greek thought encompassing philosophy and politics. These advancements are responsible for the strong Greek

Greece had a more short lived aristocracy, that existed outside of the polis. Eventually that led to a more democratic system. Within Greece,

Sparta had a mixed government consisting of elements of monarchy, oligarchy and democracy. The monarchy, although not a true monarchy, consisted of two kings from separate royal tribes. These kings were subject to the will of the Gerousia and the Ephors and

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

There were many forms of government in Ancient Greece. The ones that will be discussed in the following paragraphs are monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy.

(Athens & Sparta: Democracy vs. Dictatorship, 2016) Spartan society & public office was made up of: The Kings: a dual kingship of two different royal tribes. The Kings were not true monarch because they were overruled by the Gerousia and the

The Greeks were very well managed and they developed a government for themselves. The Ancient Greece practiced democracy and the American society is practicing democracy also. Ancient Greece was a direct democracy, meaning not everybody was allowed to vote. The males could vote, but the

The highest level of government officials called the Gerousia and Ephors made final decisions (Cartledge, 2011) and could veto the monarchs. A king’s true power was in leading Sparta while they were at war; during a war one king led the soldiers and the other remained behind in Sparta. (Brand, 2010.) According to Cartledge (2011) the kings once did have some true power and, “Originally the power of a Spartan king was almost unlimited in the field and he

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).

In the mid 600s BCE, Greece poleis transitioned from oligarchy (malignant) to tyranny (malignant) although both rules of government were destructive for the general population. The multiple rulers of oligarchy were forced to resign their power to a single king who unlawfully obtained power across city-states. “Most Greek tyrants were military leaders who gained the support of the people by promising them more rights” (THHS at Queens College, n.d.). After Greece could no longer tolerate tyranny (malignant), another rule of government would emerge for the people of the

One of the major influences from the Greeks was their advancements in government. Greece started out with polis, their essential governing force. The rules of polis varied for different areas, some places had kings, others had monarchies, but these rules were accepted and followed by the people. Around 700 BCE the oligarchy gets thrown out and is replaced with democracy. In 594 BCE, Solon, a poet, was elected as the first archon who essentially acted as president or prime minister.

When Athens first started, it was a Monarchy or ruled by a king. The king would rule Athens with the aristocrat’s money. When the aristocrats realized they were stronger together than the king they overthrew him. The aristocats soon corrupted the government by making the laws only to benefit the rich. Athenians kept making new types of governments to make everything fair and not corrupt, resulting in a Direct Democracy (Everyone votes on everything).

Greek democracy was best developed in the city-state of Athens from where the very word “democracy”, meaning “the rule of the people” stems. People ‘ruled’ by electing officials through lot and making important decisions by majority rule. Democracy was direct, meaning that the Athenians “allowed the whole citizenry to assemble in the central eklisia, or the equivalent today of the main city hall, to vote on important issues” (Makedon 1995). In this sense, Athenian democracy differed from representative democracy that is currently prevalent in most states, in which officials are elected through democratic vote and then given authority to make decisions for the people. In Athens, elected officials were paid, but the pay was very low so that it compared with the wages of the poorest citizens and only covered the compensation of their time and effort.

Democracy began to emerge in Greece during the archaic (800-500) and classic (500-323) period, and it has expanded through the country over time . Greeks came up with the idea of democracy through discussions among citizens and with the majority voting; this was called direct democracy as everyone could debate and vote in one place to determine new policy for the country. During this period, only men were allowed to vote and give their opinions, others were not allowed to participate in government’s decisions . However, over time, the democratic government in Greece changed to be more open for every citizen. The poor, men and women, had the same rights, and equal share of power.