Evolution of Democracy and the Athenian Constitution
Democracy is defined in modern times as government by the people. To
put that in perspective and better understand all that democracy
entails we must consider its origins. It is surprising indeed that
even today tyrannies and dictatorships exist in the world when more
than two and a half thousand years ago the ancient Athenians had
developed a functional and direct form of democracy. What contributed
to this remarkable achievement and how it changed the socio-political
scene in Athens is what will be considered in this paper.
The paper will have three sections, each detailing the various stages
of political development from the kings of Attica to the time of
Pericles when, in its golden age, Athens was at the height of its
imperial power.
The historical sources used are "On Democracy and Oligarchy"
attributed to Aristotle and Xenophon, "The Rise and Fall of Athens" by
Plutarch and "History of the Peloponnesian War" by Thucydides.
1
The first stage in Athenian history was the time of the monarchs of
Attica. Most of this period is shrouded in myth and legend. The
ancient kings had absolute authority and sovereignty. In those times
the king was the head of the state, chief priest, general and judge.
The obvious qualifications for this post were birth, wealth and
military power. The king may have been considered semi-divine [due to
his link with religious ceremony and hence the gods (Trumbach)] and
this is why even in the later times his successor, the King Archon,
was entrusted with the performance of the most sacred religious rites
as his chief responsibility.
...
... middle of paper ...
...icies or the force of their personalities.
These were either aristocrats with training in oratory and sophism
(and hence manipulation of people) or demagogues seeking to incite the
public. These factors often undermined the efficacy democracy and
subjected it to the whims of the influential. Perhaps this was what
contributed to an extent to the Athenian defeat.
The popular courts were also instrumental in the functioning of a
viable democracy though in the last few stages they were often misused
for political ends. The aristocrats knew that, eventually, they could
find themselves brought before a popular jury and condemned, less for
their actions or any based on any solid evidence than for their
politics or general reputation. The lives of Pericles and especially
Alcibiades are clear illustrations of this fact.
In comparing the Ancient Athenian system of government, and the Modern Day American political system, there are many similarities. In Ancient Athens, democracy was developed in response to a long history of oppressive rulers who used their position of power for their own benefit. Ancient Athenians sought a government where all citizens were considered equal under the eyes of the law, and all had a fair say in the running of their country. Following a series
In these documents there are elements that are the same and as well there are some parts that will be complete opposites of one another. For that purpose it should be pointed out why and what makes these aspects of the said documents which will help us understand the times they were written in. The first of the documents to go over will be the Athenian constitution as it has numerous references to who holds office and why, for an example in part five section 43 it states how someone can hold office and who can at that, along with how and who votes them into office; “All the magistrates that are concerned with the ordinary routine of administration are elected by lot, except the Military Treasurer, the Commissioners of the Theoric fund, and the Superintendent of
Socrates and I grew up alongside the Athenian democracy, and experienced her vicissitudes in the past seventy years. We have both heard and experienced cycle of five types of governments that Socrates had mentioned. (Plato, Republic 8.547e) Our democracy was established hundreds years ago under Cleisthenes and turned to tyranny under Isagoras. In our childhood, Athens was a timarchy, and then Pericles ruled Athens with the
Athens of ancient Greece had perhaps the most advanced system of government of the ancient world. The system of Athens was called a Democracy. That is, every citizen voted on everything. People have claimed that the United States is also a Democracy. This is not true. The government of the United States is a Constitutional Republic (Every). United States citizens vote for representatives, who then vote on the laws. They themselves are limited by a constitution. Democracy is a flawed government system. The Constitutional Republic is also flawed, however, it is better at safeguarding individual rights, when applied correctly. Therefore, a Constitutional Republic is a better system than a Democracy.
This Athenian democracy was the first of its kind, and was certainly not the last. After Cleisthenes returned from exile, he created the first real government of the people – the demos, aroun...
The march towards developing a democratic society is often obstructed with societal unrest due to the influence of the status quo on the instruments of power. Before the rule of Solon, Athens underwent this same rule, as there was much discontent among the social classes in Athens. The society suffered financial disparity that often was the trigger for the war among the rich and poor in the society. This was a major factor that forced Solon into power to institute policies that would see a reformed Athens. By so doing, the society was looking for an avenue that would guarantee democracy and a society that is fair for everyone. The city-state of Athens was the epicenter of the revolution for the Athenian democracy during the fifth century BC. In the Athenian democracy, the electorate voted for the legislation of bills instead of a direct democracy where the electorates are tasked with electing representatives who later developed the bill. Among the first people who made significant contributions to the development of the Athenian democracy were Solon (594 BC), Cleisthenes (508/7 BC), Pericles (495 – 429 BC) and Ephialtes (462 BC). Pericles was the longest serving democratic leader who contributed much development in democracy in the city. This paper will give an account of the age of the Pericles.
Government and its different forms appears many times throughout Herodotus’s Histories, sometimes its positive and other times its negative, however in the readings Herodotus demonstrates that it is not the Athenian democratic values that makes freedom but rather the absence of tyranny along with equality among men. Herodotus’s assessment of Athenian democracy is overall a positive development to Greek cultural identity in the eyes of Herodotus.
Contemporary notions of democracy have undoubtedly evolved from their foundations in ancient Greece and Rome. However, despite noble intentions, democracy in Greece and Rome was neither fair, equal, nor representative. These civilizations practiced direct democracy, whereby all eligible citizens would actively engage in democratic processes and gather to debate state matters (Hirst 2012). Influential Greek historian Herodotus remarked that, under such a system, “there is, first, the most splendid of virtues, equality before the law” (Herodotus & Thucydides et.al 1955 p.223).
The Athenian government was a democratic government, which means it was ruled by the people to vote and have a voice in society. The democracy was slowly formed by leaders Solon and Cleisthenes. Solon took over when Athens was in political turmoil. He introduced new reforms to forgive debts, outlaw new loans, free people that
The term democracy comes from the Greek language and means "rule by the people."(Democracy Building 2012) The democracy in Athens represents the events leading up to modern day democracies. Like our modern democracy, the Athenian democracy was created as a reaction to a concentration and abuse of power by the rulers. Philosophers defined the essential elements of democracy as a separation of powers, basic civil rights, human rights, religious liberty and separation of church and state. The most current definition of a democracy is defined as a “government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.”(Dictionary.com). The American democracy was greatly influenced by the Athenian democracy. The Founding Fathers of the American democracy borrowed ideas from the Athenian way of governing. Presently, Americans live in a democracy that is much different than that the Athenian democracy, and what the Founding Fathers of the American Democracy envisioned. Although there are some commonalities between Athens and what our Founding Fathers intended, there are major differences as well. Differences between the modern American democracy the Athenian democracy and what the Founding Fathers envisioned are size of the democracies, the eligibility of a citizen to participate in the democracy and how a citizen participated.
Throughout this paper I plan to compare and contrast the ideas and philosophies of two of the greatest political thinkers of all time. Thucydides and Aristotle have separate opinions of the idea of democracy, originally created by Plato. However, these two have a positive assessment of this idea of majority rule of the people. My paper will provide each of their points of view. At the end I will determine, in my opinion, which of these two philosophers give a better case in favor of a democratic form of government, and give the reasons as to how I came to that conclusion.
In the fifth-century BC, Athens emerged as one of the most advanced state or polis in all of Greece. This formation of Athenian ‘democracy’ holds the main principle that citizens should enjoy political equality in order to be free to rule and be ruled in turn. The word ‘democracy’ originates from the Greek words demos (meaning people) and kratos (meaning power) therefore demokratia means “the power of the people.” The famous funeral speech of Pericles states that “Our constitution is called democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people.” However, only citizens (free adult men of Athenian descent) could participate in political matters. Women and slaves held no political rights, although they were essential in order to free up time for the citizens to participate in the matters of the state. The development of Athenian democracy has been fundamental for the basis of modern political thinking, although many in modern society UK would be sceptical to call it a democracy. Plato and Aristotle in The Republic and The Politics respectively were critical of the Athenian democracy, by examining the culture and ideology present the limitations and possible downfalls of a democratic way of life. Within this essay I will outline these limitations and evaluate their validity.
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
The Greeks system of democracy was an entirely new concept when it was created, and one that has had lasting affects as it continues to influence present day politics around the globe. Modern day democracies may very well not exist if it wasn’t for the success the Athenians had with democracy. Today we look back at these ancient civilizations and we try to better our current society by learning from their mistakes and building on their success.
In this work, Socrates presents four different types of political constitutions. The four types are as follows: Timocracy; Oligarchy; Democracy; and Tyranny. Socrates points out the kind of men grow out of these different constitutions and how one is in fact less desirable and transferred from its preceding form of government/constitution. All four are different stages of deterioration from the perfect, just style of constitution Kallipolis.