Essay Comparing Democracy, Monarchy, And Democracy In Ancient Greece

Compare and contrast monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy as forms of government in Ancient Greek city-states.

Introduction

In ancient Greece, there was no central government or not even considered one country. Greeks lived in city-states as to each of their own. Each city-state has their culture, made their own laws, and their own monetary system. Thus, Greece was made up of many city-states such as Corinth, Athens and Sparta. Thereafter, each city-state formed their own government accordingly to their preferences: monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy.

Monarchy

The Greek word “monarkhia’, monarchy, is a form of government relative to ancient Greece, “ruled by one”. Macedonia, a Greece city-state, was the most famous for monarchy ruling during the times of King Perdicas, who granted hereditary kingship to his brother, Phillip. In addition to the hereditary kingship, a monarch candidate should

possess a set of characteristics. Like King Phillip of Macedonia, he exhibited a character of indigenous leader. In addition, a monarch should be characterized as charismatic, who was capable of adapting of various social structures and endures dynamic cultural and geographical conditions. In monarchy, it was one king who was the head of the state and made decisions related the welfare of his city-state and the citizens. Contrary to Macedonia, Sparta’s monarch political systems was based on dual kingship. In the dual kingship, originated from two Gerousia, a king who went to battle was more respected and powerful than the king who stayed at the home front. Eventually, a monarchy governing of small city-states could evolve into large empires. For instance, a warrior leader, who later became a monarch king of the roman empire or the Pharaohs of Egypt. In 2000 BCE most city-states were ruled by monarchs and among them was the Corinth.

Tyranny

By definition, a person who seizes power unconstitutionally and by force, or by terrorizing, sometimes as far as murdering, anyone who is obstruents. Tyranny is an opposite of democracy and a complementary to monarchy. Some monarch could turn into a tyrant king, whose best interest was their own, to have greed and power. For instance, the Persian kings, Darius and Xerxes, were in pursuit to seize Athens that led to the battle of Thermopylae and Salamis. Although Sparta and Athens were united during the Persian Wars, the two separated, which culminated the Peloponnesian Wars, thus Sparta Hegemony over Athens. Thereafter, Athenian’s replacement of democracy was embedded by Sparta called the “Tyrant of 30,” the pro-Spartan oligarchies. During their reign of terror, these tyrants went into a killing spree of Athenian citizens, seized their properties, and banished and executed a few democratic supporters. An important exiled democratic supporter, Thrasybulus, formed an alliance with other Greek cities, which were displeased with the Tyrant of 30, besieged the city of Piraeus, Athens’ chief port. By 600 BCE most city-states were ruled by tyrants.

Oligarchy

The ramification of the Tyrant of 30 after the Peloponnesian Wars forced Athens to accept an oligarchy government, replacing their precious democracy. Oligarchy was a representation of a few or selected group who regulated the city-state. Athens had an oligarchy ruling within their to what is supposed to be a democratic governance during Solon’s Era, who reformed the political system of Athens by the wealth of the population. For instance, the “500 bushels of men”- the richest, held the highest political office in Athens. A lesser position in politics were the “Horse Men”, worth 300 bushels of men. The “horse men” were wealthy enough to provide their horses in the military. Thereafter, a minor position belongs to the group of “middle class”, worth 200 bushels of men. The “middle class” group were prosperous enough to equipped themselves with weapons and were qualified to be hoplite soldiers. The poorest of group in Athens were the “Thetes”, worth less than 199 bushels of men, could still participate in the People’s Court, but were ineligible to serve as soldiers. By 800 BCE, most city-states were ruled by oligarchs.

Democracy

The guiding principle of the Athenian policy was based on “the power to the people”, a rendition to and the birthplace of the democracy.

In Classical Athens, this ancient Greece city-state, formed a government that made up of: the Assembly (Ekklesia), People’s Court (Heliaea), Council (Boule), and Magistrate. All citizen’s vote were made by the Assembly, where matters on laws, wars, maintaining food supply, and selecting members of the boule, magistrate, and Heliaea, were taken place. The 500 council members made up the Boule, whose functions were to prepare laws to be presented at the assembly. In times of war, the Boule had the authority to make decisions without the assembly meeting. Thus, the members of the Magistrate, consists of 10 strategoi or army generals, were leading the army during war. Meanwhile, in the home front, in the People’s Court, the Heliaea, 6000 jurors were selected to serve as judges the people who violated the Athenian laws. In 500 BCE most-city states were ruled “by the people” in a (direct)

democracy.

Aristocracy

Critics of government structures during ancient Greece was Aristotle, an admirable writer and philosopher as well as the teacher of “Alexander the Great”, was the great supporter of Aristocracy, supports the “rule of the best”. He firmly believed that the state could benefit the governance of aristocrats better than any other form of government in ancient Greece. Aristocracy was based on the guiding principle of the leaders of the city-state should be housed and leisured so that these aristocrats can focus on fulfilling an absolute self-sufficing state. Aristotle further argued that the head of the state should consist of people based on their merit, not by wealth or hereditary rights. To birth a self-sufficient aristocracy government, a state had a duty to seek revenue and maintain food supply, developed a system for education requiring reading and writing, gymnastic exercises, music, and arts. In Aristocracy government, people had the right to bear arms and a place to worship. In other words, a quote below from Aristotle, in a nutshell, explained an aristocracy government.

“And so states require property, but property, even though living beings are included in it, is no part of a state; for a state is not a community of living beings only, but a community of equals, aiming at the best life possible.” - Aristotle (Halsall, 1998).

Conclusions

Despite the governing differences in forms of government in Ancient Greek city-states, each had a few things in common. They all spoke the same language, worshipped the same gods, and they all referred themselves as Greeks. For one thing, they were loyal to their own city-states as a Spartan, Athenian, Corinth, or Argos and would correspond as such.

In Sparta, their unusual triple government structure consists of a monarchial element, the dual kingships, combined with an oligarchic component, which included the Ephors and Gerousia, and a democratic element of the Assembly.

The critics of democracy, Thucydides and Aristophanes, argued that the “demos” could be easily influenced of a voting decision by a popular leader (demagogues) or the best speaker. Due to the Athenian democracy, a death sentence was given to the famous philosopher, Socrates, in 399 BCE. On the contrary, Aristotle firmly believed that the three types of government in ancient Greece exhibited some good and bad features. For instance, democracy in an extreme form was a mob rule. Tyranny was a type of monarch ruling whose serves their own self-interests. Since oligarchy ruled by the “few,” or by the wealthy, oligarchy was the worst kind of aristocracy. Nonetheless, Athens stood by their invention of democracy in accordance to Pericle’s quote.

“Athens’ constitution is called a democracy because it respects the interests not of the minority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular class, but the actual ability which the man possesses. (Pericles, 431 BCE)” (Cartwright, 2013).

Resources

Brand, P.J. (n.d). Athens & Sparta: Democracy vs. Dictatorship. Retrieved from http://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/91744/mod_resource/content/4/Athens%20%20Sparta%20dictatorship%20%20democracy.pdf?forcedownload=1

Cartledge, P. (2011).  The Democratic Experiment. Retrieved on September 11, 2015 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtml

Cartwright, M. (2013). Ancient History Encyclopedia: Definition. Retrieved on September 11, 2015 from http://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Government/
Fordham University. (1999). Ancient History Sourcebook: 11th Britanica: Sparta. Retrieved on September 11, 2015 from http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/eb11-sparta.asp

Halsall, P. (1998). Ancient History Sourcebook: Aristotle: from the Politics, c. 340 BCE. Retrieved on September 13, 2015 from http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/aristotle-politics1.asp