The Is An Oligarchy Would Be The Best For Athens?

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.

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 most distinctive feature of Greek political culture lay in the extent of popular participation in political life that occurred within the city-states. This participation was based on the unique ideas of “citizenship,” of free people running the affairs of state, and of equality for all citizens before the law. Political participation in Greek city-states was much wider than in Persia, but it varied considerably between city-states and over time. Early in Greek history, only the wealthy and wellborn had the rights of full citizenship, but middle- and lower-class men gradually obtained these rights in some city-states.

Were the people better served by the democracy in Athens or the oligarchy of Sparta?

Dear friends, and to all that are gathered here today at the Pnyx, what I come to talk to you about today is voting rights. I have come to appeal to your logical sides, as opposed to your emotional ones. Any Athenian of sound mind cannot make an argument against voting rights for slaves and Metics. Metics, as we all know, are the foreign residents of Athens, however, many of our Metics are Athenian born. Our current definition of citizenship is outdated and should be adjusted. As it now stands, the only true Athenian citizens are those born in Athens to both Athenian-born parents. If you are born in Athens to parents who are not citizens, you are not a citizen. It is as simple as that, but should it be? Those metics who were born and raised in Athens, or whom helped us contribute to the war in some significant way, should be granted citizenship.

Despite having a Limited Democracy, Athens enjoyed many freedoms. An example of these freedoms would be people voting, the Athenians could vote. Athens had a democracy with a very high citizen participation. Athens had a democracy where there was large amounts of participation in it. An example of this would be the Vase in Document 1, it shows multiple Athenian people that are working together on a project.

The freedom which we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life” (Pericles’ Funeral Oration, Thucydides). In other words, it doesn’t matter what your social rank is, if you are a citizen of Athens, you have a right (and duty) to serve in the government. This is known as a direct democracy today, and it is where we, citizens of the United States, took inspiration for our current system of government. Pericles is right to praise the city-state in this regard, as its legacy still has effect on the world millenniums after its time.

Although they are allowed to express opinions about pre-determined ideas, the fact that they can not express their own thoughts is a huge sign of losing one’s individuality. Like bees that follow the queen’s orders, the Spartans are required to follow the orders of the government, without any chance of intervening in politics with their own ideas. This reform creates a disadvantage for the citizens because they lose the ability to be themselves in their own city government as a result of not being able to fully participate in political affairs. In turn, by restricting the citizens’ intervention in politics, the government loses beneficial ideas to amplify the political power of Sparta. Thus, by not having a word in their own city’s governing, the Spartans are deprived of their power to make choices for the benefit of the

Most Greek city states were ruled by a small elite group, also known as an aristocratic oligarchy (cite text book). Pericles explains that the Athens government is a democracy because the administration is in the hands of many and not just a few people. This will cause the government to have equal justices exist for all people. This is confirmed by Pericles stating, “When a citizen is in any way distinguished, he is preferred to the public service, not as a matter of privilege, but as a reward of merit”. This means that a citizen has to earn their privileges, they don’t just get things because of who they are in society. Athens not only takes pride in their government, but is also very proud of their military. Athens considers their military training to be better that their enemies in many ways. The people never try to hide anything from enemies or prevent them from seeing or learning anything that might benefit them. While their enemies are undergoing difficult exercises to make them brave, the people of Athens live the easy life. Although they live the easy life, the people of Athens are equally ready to face the challenges which their enemies face. The people of Athens would rather meet danger with a light heart and not intense training like their neighbors. They also want to do this with courage not enforce by law, but instead gain by habit. When the Lacedaemonians come into Athenian territory they bring their whole confederacy,

The Thirty Tyrants was the name for the small group of men who overthrew the Athenian democracy to replace it with their own oligarchy form of government, where the few ruled over the many. While Athenian men had previously enjoyed many rights within their city-state, under the rule of the Thirty Tyrants a council of 500 men were assembled to fulfill government roles, while the rest of the citizens were stripped of their rights. While it was clear toward the end of Socrates’ life when the Thirty called upon him to bring in a friend to be tried, he refused the Tyrants, however it is also widely know many of these men had at one point been his pupil and heard his teachings encouraging the belief that when the masses agree about something, they are often wrong.

My fellow Athenians, we have lost everything to the war against Sparta. I stand here before you to tell you about our monetary policy. It pains me to remind you that we have no money, but do not fear for I shall regain it. I have prayed to the gods over this matter, and I have finally written a new policy under their guidance. If you stand with me you will stand with the Oligarchs who have suffer terrible losses as you all have. Do you want our government’s money in the hands of a fool or in safe hands? Our city will not waste its time with people that don’t even know what they are doing, we shall pick the most qualified by vote.

Christ also drew upon the work of other scholars to shed a new light on a subject matter that has previously been discussed in other studies. Previous works acknowledged bad citizenship in Athenian democracy but “focused more on the institutions and ideologies that made democracy work” (Christ, 5). The scholars that have written on bad citizenship often look at the legal measures used to enforce civic obligations and do not go in-depth on the social aspect of bad citizenship. Athenians that chose to evade their civic duties were often brought before a court and charged

The idea of sacrificing the needs of the individual Athenian for the benefit of everyone in Athens was at the core of the inner workings of its democracy, thus, a distinct privilege was placed on engaging in the political atmosphere. (Of course, said privilege of voting and serving on juries was only afforded to male natural-born citizens, but that is beside the point.) “Our public men have, besides politics, their

“individuation,” of reflection on the connection between social order and social demands and the aims of individuals. It prompted reflection about the means of reconciling the conflict between private and public avenues. Participation in the politics of democratic Greece was an extenuation of the menial status of the people. This held true because the polis expressed not merely the material interests of those who ruled and were ruled, but also their freedom and their nobility. The realization of one’s purposes within the polis demanded that one be an active citizen. Man’s awareness and understanding of himself as an agent is shaped through interaction with the world. Membership of the political community was not merely essential for survival, but also greatly extended the range of ends of which it was possible to pursue. A self-governing community enabled men to act to secure the ends they desired, to express their autonomy, and by its very operation ensured that the

During the reign of Pericles, he brought the idea of citizenship to the people of Athens. In Pericles’ Funeral Orations he stated that “Not membership of a particular class, but the ability which the man processes.” Pericles says that in society, your class does not matter, what matters is how you contribute to democracy. He also shows the idea of citizenship again when he says, “everyone is equal before the law.” Pericles is showing that citizens will be equal no matter what so you should not be afraid to participate because the law will treat you equally. Once again Pericles demonstrates the idea of citizenship when he said, “power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole of the people.” Once more, Pericles shows that everyone has a right to be a part of democracy and encourages you to be a part of. Others would say that because not everyone had the same rights, the rule of Pericles’ was not a Golden Age, however