Essay On Athenian Democracy

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

“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.

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.

The Archaic government of Ancient Greece and the Democratic government of the modern-day United States are very similar, for democracy originated from the Ancient Greek Archaic government; yet, their differences are quite note-worthy. To begin, we should recognize how the populace of the United States is considerably larger than that of Ancient Greece. Regardless, in Ancient Greece and in the United States, citizens were/are allowed to vote, although in Ancient Greece, but male citizens could vote; while unlike the United States, who lets all citizens over the age of 18 vote. In Ancient Greece the eligible were all treated equally, and had direct participation in government, which meant that their single vote could either serve as deciding a new law, if they should go to war, or any other issue at the time. Furthermore, in Ancient Greece, citizens could act as judges, or even address new laws, freely, without consent. In contrast, the United States' voters all have elected participation in the government, which means that they elect like-minded representatives who decide on matters for them. In the United States' democracy voters cannot decide on issues, they let their elected leaders which comprise of three individual branches to

Although the Athenians didn't quite meet the correct standards of democracy, they did give an effort to try and have one. In Document A Pericle states that “Our constitution favors the many instead of the few. If we look to the laws, they give equal justice to all” (Doc A). The people in Athens did have equal rights but, what were the chances

There are multiple reasons why ancient Athens was not a Democracy in its truest sense. In Document A of the Athenian constitution, it clearly states.. “ Our constitution favors the many instead of the few,’’ however, if that were accurate, why could only twelve percent of the population vote (Document C).The Philosopher, Plato, concluded that women should have the same education and hold all positions in society (Guided Reading Activity 1-2 question 10); this is the very same conundrum that the American government had to face back in the 1920’s (Amendment 19), and it still has not been completely addressed to this day. If the Athenian constitution had favored the many as it claimed than 100 percent of the population should been allowed to vote.

In Doc D, paragraph two, While in the Doc C chart it explains that Ancient Athens was democratic because according to the article,”It is more democratic by being government by the people instead of government by those elected by the people.” But on the other hand it’s less democratic because of “narrowing down the concept of demos to mean the adult male

What is democracy? Historians have, for a long time, kept this question in mind as they studied the methods and laws of the Ancient Athenians. After studying the given evidence it can be determined that Ancient Athens was not truly democratic.

Democracy is a “Government by the people”, Democracy was a central part of Athenian society and everyday life. The Athenian government held Ekklesia or assembly where citizens could go to vote on laws, issues and practically everything affecting Athenian life. They also had The Boule or council and the Dikastiria or the courts that helped make decisions and enforce laws. Through their actions the Athenians established a very early democracy.

Have you ever heard of Athens and the first democracy, well I have been studying it for a few months. After studying Athens widespread forms of government and it’s so called democracy, I have come to a conclusion that Athens wasn’t truly democratic for many textual reasons. Here's why

People may say Athens was not a democracy because of the fact that only 12% of the population could vote. Although, if you look at the definition of democracy, it says, “all the eligible members of state.” In Athens, the eligible members of state were any citizens that were men. It may also be argued that because they had slaves,

“In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme” - Aristotle. This quote lays out the main idea behind Democracy. The idea that the people deserve equality and freedom. Equality in race, colour and religion, and freedom of speech, and will, unless it is against the will of the majority of the people. Democracy endeavors to achieve a balance in freedom of an individual, whilst not violating the majority's will. Democracy was developed in Ancient Greece. The word itself comes from the greek term ‘demokratia’ (‘demos - the people’ and ‘kratos - rule’. Democracy was first used in the Greek state, Athens. Athens used a direct form of Democracy, as people knew each other. Nowadays, there are an abundant amount of countries that are ruled under democracy, such as New Zealand, Switzerland, Ireland, and Austria.

Personally, I think that Greek Democracy was better than American democracy today. There were problems though. Not everyone could vote in Greece, like women and slaves. But, there was a large variety of men, and in vote this meant not as many biases because of people of different backgrounds. In democracy today, we vote for representatives who vote on the problems for us. So, there isn’t as many people, and most of the time, they stay in the same position. Compared to modern democracy on this level, Greece was good. Our modern democracy also has variety, but in different ways. We don’t have slaves, and women can be representatives. This can help the bias issue that the Greek’s democracy had. Greece had a direct democracy, which meant literally

Modern America and Ancient Greece both differ greatly in their democracy. In the article, “The Democratic Experiment”, Paul Cartledge mentions three main reasons why Greece and America differ in democracies; scale, participation, and eligibility

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.