As we have seen it, it was the Greeks who gave the Western world the growth of democracy. Greek democracy happened when Greece actually became a cosmopolitan culture. Their democracy was a direct democratic system rather than a representative one. They believed that individuals should be free as long as they acted within the laws of Greece. This allowed them the opportunity to excel in any direction they chose. Individuality, as the Greeks viewed it, was the basis of their society. The citizens' views in Greece were all part of the polis. Each city-state had its own personality, goals, laws and customs. As these city-states formed interest shifted from nature to social living; questions of law and convention and civic values became paramount. This change gave a little instability in their government because they did not yet have any professional politicians, lawyers or judges.
Greece was not a unified nation because control of the country was divided between the number of independent city-states, which often formed shifting alliances with each other or fought to expand or preserve their spheres of influence. Each state maintained an army of citizens who could be called on to fight at any moment; the citizens each provided their own armor and fought together in massed formation, a military tactic which is much more effective than hand-to-hand combat by individuals. Each polis maintained its own religious rituals, but individual citizens rather than a class of priests performed it
Ancient Greeks were very loyal to their city-states. The polis became the chief political and social unit for the individual Greek person. In forming the polis as a system of government and social organization, the Greeks were deliberately turning away from the dominant model which existed during this time, namely the kingdom or empire governed by a single individual who usually came to power through birth or conquest. Among the Greeks this was not a term of reproach but merely meant one who had seized kingly power without the qualification of royal descent.
The ancient Greeks were very proud of their city-state because they had different views on the world and how their particular society should be run. Greek people had a heightened tension between government and tribal loyalty. They criticized dictatorship as the worst form of government and hated Eurocracy and did not want it to gather power. This growth of democracy gave citizens in Greece a share in the polis; they were able to vote on leadership and public matters.
On which they would scratch the name of the person that represented a threat.”(Doc E)This demonstrates why Athens was a democratic society since not only did civilians get to decide on who is in office and who is not. Furthermore, because democracy means rule by the people, and male citizens of ancient Athens voted laws and officials into place.(doc c) This exemplifies how salient the majority's opinion was instead of opinions of just a few rich men .In addition, Athens “....constitution favors many instead of few.”(doc a) Also Athenians had the freedom to do whatever they desire a long as they did not disrupt any other citizen or violate a law. “The freedom which we enjoy in our governments also to our ordinary life…...we do not feel called upon to be angry with our neighbor for doing what he likes. But all this ease in our private life does not make us lawless as citizens.”(doc A) Therefore, this exhibits that this is a democratic government because this is a characteristic that can be seen in democratic governments today. To summarize why Athens was a democracy.Citizens were free to do what makes them jubilant as long as it did not interfere with the laws or fellow citizens. Male citizens could vote and elect the rulers and vote laws into place. These aspects all demonstrate why Athens
Ancient Greece was rich in culture, as the country was separated into many polis (city-states). Among these cities, were the two most authoritative rivals—Athens and Sparta; having strived to attain power more than the rest, Athens and Sparta earned the most recognition. While both cities were two of the most powerful in Ancient Greece, the attainment of this power was approached in contradicting ways, as their values and lifestyle greatly differed. Athens and Sparta’s contrasting visions for their citizens framed their culture, which became the sole deciding factor in the kinds of laws that were implemented and enforced to form divergent systems including government, social class and gender roles.
During the times of Ancient Greece, two major forms of government existed, democracy and oligarchy. The city-states of Athens and Sparta are the best representatives of democracy and oligarchy, respectively. The focus of the times was directed towards military capabilities, while the Athenians were more interested in comfort and culture. It was the oligarchy in Sparta that put a war-like attitude as its first priority and best met the needs of Ancient Greece. These factors empowered Sparta and led to the development of an authoritative and potent state. Other contrasting issues included women’s rights, social classes, and value of human life.
Ancient Athens was, at first, rule aristocratically and this benefited a small group of elites. However, there began a major demand for political equality by the wealthy merchants and working class; therefore the aristocrats were forced to compromise or face a major civil war. The aristocrats gave political power to the people of Athens and this restored the power balance within the state. These events lead to the birth of democracy. In Manin’s The Principles of Representative Government, he discusses the creation of the assembly where people would come to vote on local political issues (Manin 11). Along with the assembly, they created mechanisms to avoid demagogues (ostracism and ‘graphe para nomo’) and a lottery system to choose political figures so there is equality among all citizens. Athens functioned and flourished on two core beliefs in the polis: “1. We all have an understanding of what is happening around us and fix it. 2. No one person can take away our right to govern” (Breaugh). Everyone has the ability to rule and must rule, was an essential part of the polis. Additionally, every citizen was equal to one another, within the polis. In the lecture, Breaugh mentioned, “the community would help to define you as a citizen, and the citizen helps define the community” (Breaugh). Political participation was believed to be a vital part of every man’s self-development and, most importantly,
In Ancient Greek there were many forms of government that ranged from monarchy to tyranny. In fact there were hundreds of forms over the many Greek states during Ancient Greek. Some that were more popular than others but all that contributed to the world as we know it now.
Athens was a small but influential city state in what is now known as the nation of Greece. They were a great trade city due to their easy access to the Aegean Sea. They were also a prodigious intellectual center as they valued knowledge above all else. This pursuit of knowledge led to the creation of a democracy, a form
Democracy in Athens formed following the revolution led by Cleisthenes and promised liberty to the Greeks who had just overcome their tyrannical leadership. Democracy in Athens formed due to frustration and turmoil brought forth by past oligarchies who just took advantage of the people of Athens. As the years went on, the experiment improved and the democratic experiment allowed even the less wealthy to experience
To address the question of how Greek democracy ended, you must first see how it started. Around 600 BCE Solon made some of the first changes in Athenian life. His reforms gave freedom and rights to many that had none. During this time period, Solon abolished Draco’s Laws that were currently in place. He ended the practice where the poor could offer themselves as collateral. The penalty for nearly all crimes had been death until his code of law was set in place. Solon established trade rules, encouraging the exportation of olive oil and prohibited that of grains. Grains were needed to feed the populace. However, his reforms didn’t go far enough or last. (Cadoux, 2015)
Between the years of 508 BCE and 322 CE, Greece flourished under democracy. However, some question if the flourishing of Athens is due to the democracy that was in place as opposed to other factors relevant in building a successful community. This investigation will examine the effectiveness of Athenian democracy in Greek society. Relevance of Athenian democracy can be seen in foundation of many democracies found worldwide. In this investigation the right to vote, protection of minorities, use of social class, the structure of democracy and how Greek democracy has influenced the world will be addressed. The place investigated will be Greece, specifically the capitol Athens. The effectiveness of Athenian democracy can be seen in social structure, protection of minorities, and right to vote, as well as its structure and influence of other countries around the world.
Ancient Greece today is most known for the culture: the gods, the dramas, how people lived. What most people do not realize is that there were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of different civilizations spread throughout Greece that all had different forms of government. The three main ones were Athens, Sparta, and Miletus. Each was very different from the other. The most powerful out of all three was Sparta: a military based society. The Spartan government had a strong foundation that was all torn down by one bad leader.
Like the various forms of Greek art, the government of ancient Greece appreciated the individual by creating an environment in which individuals were free to express themselves. Tyrants like Pisistratus and Cleisthenes came to power to try and make the polis a better place for the individual. These tyrants reformed the state in many ways; they helped make it possible for the rich and poor to have equal rights, and they created the conditions for the construction of the splendid monumental buildings ancient Greece is remembered for today. Although not all tyrants were good, they all had one thing in common: they were all citizens of Greece, and ruled to improve the lifestyle of the citizens of Greece. After the end of tyranny, Greece had a democracy; a government ruled by the people for the people.
Democracy was a revolutionary development for the Ancient Greek society it was an innovative idea which gave the citizens of Ancient Greeks the freedom to participate in the governmental system and contribute in the processes and decisions, this in turn helped Ancient Greece succeed politically and economically. This democratic society not only helped Greece succeed in the Mediterranean region but also influenced modern day society. The Ancient Greeks succeeded significantly and were highly advanced for this period, the progressive thoughts and ideas demonstrated by individuals in this society contributed to the development of democracy in Athens which has become one of the most beneficial forms of government created.
Ancient Greece was made up of individual city states, known as a Polis, which relied heavily on citizen participation in politics. The idea of self-rule was an entirely new way of governing. Citizenship was unheard of at the time. Although still considered citizens not everybody was allowed to participate. In Athens only adult males who had military training were allowed to vote. The majority of the population, namely slaves, children, metics (free noncitizens) and women were excluded from participation in politics. “[Metics] and women were not citizens and did not enjoy any of the privileges of citizenship.”(Sayre, 137) Athenian citizens had to be descended from citizens, excluding the children of Athenian men and foreign women. Individuals could be granted citizenship in to Athens by the assembly this was usually as a reward for some service to the state. Ancient Greece paved the way for the representative democratic style of government that is practiced by many countries today. Much like how voting rights started out in America, originally only the wealthy land owners were allowed to vote and call themselves citizens, but soon all men were allowed to have a vote and a voice in their states politics. Essentially the Greeks were the first to introduce citizen rights and freedom similar to what’s seen today.
People have always recognized the need for an authority to exercise control in society. This has taken shapes in many different ways from small groups to formal organizations. The ancient Greeks were no different. The Greeks established cities known as polis, and they had their own governments, which were systems for controlling their local societies.
This article will briefly discuss the original in modern democracy form the ancient Greek democracy