Athens Vs Sparta Essay

Comparing Athens and Sparta: How two City-States were alike and the same, while carrying the title of Greek.

Greek Background:

Greek geography was something of a different animal to the rest of the world. These “city-states” were formed communities that governed themselves in one of three types of government. Monarch, Oligarchy, or Democracy. The monarchy was ruled by a king, while the oligarchy was made up of a small group of men to run the government, and democracy was made up of ordinary citizens. This last form was a newer way of attempting to give a voice to the people. “Whatever the mode of government, the crucial idea was the sense of belonging to a political community.” (Ibid) Unlike other regime’s, there was no absolute ruler over all of Greece. Each city-state managed its own territory, which may have been nothing more than a farming

Spartans were Oligarchy, which means they were run by a small group of men, 28 to be exact (compared to the hundreds in Athens). Most of the political authority rested in these men, all over the age of 60, who served for life, and “were the wealthy and more influential people in society.” Athenians on the other hand were a democratic society, which meant the citizens debated and voted on the issues. Many thoughts this may not be the best way to run the government. “Athens had been described as a government run by amateurs.” (Ibid) This gave the people power to make decisions that might not be the most wise due to inexperience. There were critics who called democracy the “mob rule” and had “no confidence in the common people to make important decisions.” (Ibid) While this method of government worked for Athens, Sparta could not consider it as an option, as they led the way in their Peloponnesian League as the major oligarchy government, believing that freedom came from “preserving the independence of their fatherland” (Ibid), not political