Why Is Polis So Powerful In Greek Government

A disparity of the classical civilizations of Athens and Han China was the type of government in each culture. Greece consisted of many individual city-states. Each polis, an individual city state, had similar traditions, but different cultures. Greece was also comprised of many islands. Mountains dominated the

The Athenian government was a direct democracy, meaning the citizens of the city-state take absolute control over any vote. This was the plan for the government to control their people since the citizens

A Greek city-state was known as a polis. Some factors that determined a polis was the acropolis and agora.

Oligarchy comes from the Greek words “oligos” meaning “few” and “archo” meaning “rule”. Essentially “oligarchy” means “rule of the few in their own interests and not in the interest of the majority or the public good.” (Melville, 2011). Melville states that oligarchy was a “degeneration” of aristocracy as stated by Aristotle. Oligarchies were the most common form of government in the Ancient Greek city-states. In Sparta, the Gerousia (council of twenty-eight men over sixty-year of age together with the two kings) was an elite assembly dominated by the wealthier members of Spartan society. The Gerousia approved all laws that were submitted to the popular assembly for vote. The Ephors were a group of five men who were elected annually for a single term of office. The Ephors usually deferred to the guidance of the Gerousia (Brand, n.d.).

Pericles , a famous Greek statesman once wrote a document called the Funeral oration (document 3) in which he describes what a democracy. This is the form of government which was instated during the Ancient Greek civilizations and is instated in the (modern-day) the United States. Democracy is made for the majority and not the minority. It is not based on the few leading, rather everyone gets a voice in society. It gives

“Polis is a term that is used to describe a tight knit small community of Ancient Greek citizens who agreed on certain rules and customs. Usually a polis was centered on a small town and the countryside the surrounded it” (Deering). The polis defined a public and communal space, the Agora, for the purpose of leading public affairs. The affairs of men and affairs were included as these had essentials parts to the entire community’s affairs. The Ancient Greek poleis are among the first recorded democratic governments in the world. The term polis has been translated into city-state as there was typically only one city and because an individual polis was independent from other poleis in terms of political, judicial, legal, religious and social institutions and practices (Cartwright). A polis offered security for its inhabitants and gave organization to government through structure, function and hierarchy.

Polis can be translated from Greek to mean city and refers to the Greek city-states(Dictionary.com., 2017).In ancient Greece, during the archaic and classical-era, city-states was how Greece divided itself. A polis was, essentially, " its own small country"(Brand, P. J., n.d.). A polis was independent of their neighboring polis. They answered only to themselves, and no one else.Think of the states within the United States of America. Each has its own capital, a system of government, laws, constitution, natural resources, and approach to dealing with the general public. Now, imagine if there was no federal government, making sure the states do what is right, and keeping the peace between the states. Each state would look

Greek had four political systems. Monarchy, Oligarchy, Tyranny, Democracy. Monarchy- During the Mycenaean period (c. 1400–1150 BCE), most city­-states were ruled by monarchies, a system of government where one person—the king or queen—has the power to rule. Monarchy comes from the Greek mono­, meaning one, and archos, meaning leader.

Political- The Greeks had no centralized government and instead had separate city-states that were formed around a polis, a fortified sites that were the center of villages and cities. Due to this, forms of governance were different in each city state along with culture. Henceforth, Greek city-states had very distinct political structures and strengths. Among these city states, the most influential ones were Athens, Thebes, Corinth, Delphi, and Sparta, with Athens of Attica and Sparta of Laconia being considered the most powerful of them all.

Being that Greece was admire for its political, economic and cultural aspects, the Greek polis played a significant role in influencing western society. Without the polis, Greek Civilization would be extremely less significant and influential on the Western world. Urbanization had begun a significant process by 8th century BCE. Eventually, thousands of poleis existed within the Greek world (in important places such as Athens, Corinth, Thebes, Aegina, Sparta, Argos and many more). A polis was not just a place of living or a system of government, it was the pride and spirit of the Greek people.

A democracy is when the common people are considered as the primary source of political power. Although democracy and absolutism had advantages and disadvantages, democracy was a more effective type of government for it limited royal power and protected the rights of the people socially, politically, and economically. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, tension arose between the two different types of governments, the democracy and absolute monarchs.

The political amplitude of the Classical age is often stated as the original however its basis came earlier in the Archaic age. The Greek region at the beginning of this age was characterized by semi-autonomous units each headed by a warrior chief who expressed his power in leadership, bestowing gifts, and creating marriage alliances with other chiefs (67) . Preexisting political structure helps transition to the next most famous structure, the polis. From the same units that had been ruled by chiefs now became polis that was ruled by citizens who up held laws. The political structure of each polis however was not identical across the board; each polis had its own anatomy. Differences of this age can also be simplified into the two infamous

The polis encompassed a group of men deemed to be equal. In contrast to tribal or feudal societies, ancient Athens boasted no priestly class. The males who made up the citizen body participated in the face-to-face, directly democratic politics of the city-state, not merely by voting but also by speaking in the assembly and by serving themselves through active and intimate interaction with others.

Theoretically, democracy is a stable form of government where power is in the hands of the people. In a democracy, people have the liberty to elect officials that best represent their interests, and political institutions exist as a result: Benjamin Constant argues in The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns that “true modern liberty is

Finally, democracy is the best form of government thus far because it is susceptible to change. The role of high courts, and equal rights makes change possible. For example, if the majority impedes on a minority groups’ rights, over time, the legislature will adjust, enumerating those who were previously attacked. Overall, democracy makes the necessary refinements needed to keep up with societal developments.