Greece’s Golden Age can be defined as a time of flourishing. Athens made the important decision of splitting itself from Sparta, who they constantly differed with. “It is from this split that the Athenian Empire was created” (Hunt 80). This split illustrates the certainty that the Athenians possessed in terms of creating a better nation. Athens developed an empire because democracy was expensive. In order for democracy to be created, you need an empire to raise money. Both Sparta and Athens created different leagues in an effort to intensify their dominance. The Delian League, which was the league Athens was associated with, continued to thrive. This allowed them the opportunity to create a democratic nation in which the people were provided with the freedom they continuously strived for. The individual that was determined to create a democratic nation was Pericles. He revised and renovated Athenian democracy. It was during his time that the U.S. constitution arises. Pericles lowered the standard of citizenship which meant that more money needs to be made to pay the people. The poor were even capable of being Athenian citizens. In doing so, he also limited citizenship to those who were purely Athenians. He stated that “if an Athenian man married a non-Athenian woman, then his children will not be considered Athenian citizens” (Hunt 83). Pericles did this to secure high value of Athenian citizenship. However, the Athenians understood that citizenship in Athens is a privilege. It is something that should be cherished and not taken advantage of. Pages 3 &4 Pericles’ The Funeral Oration allowed Athens to thrive in its Golden Age. It helped alter people’s mindsets in a positive manner. The people no longer focused simply on their wan... ... middle of paper ... ...ting that bravery qualifies as moral courage and leads and individual to becoming virtuous. Additionally, Aristotle believed that one can reach a state of Kaloskagahtos if they possessed virtue, justness, self-control, and phronesis. If this state is reached, one will be considered virtuous. Similarly, Pericles addresses the people in his speech with the importance of being virtuous which results when one is courageous, capable of controlling one’s desires, and capable of properly reasoning through different situations. Aristotle’s philosophy and Pericles’ The Funeral Oration complement one another. Works Cited Hunt, Lynn, Thomas R. Martin, and Barabara H. Rosenwein. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Boston: Bedford, 2012. Print. Lualdi, Katharine J. Sources of The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print.
Coffin, Judith G., and Robert C. Stacey. "CHAPTER 18 PAGES 668-669." Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture. 16TH ed. Vol. 2. New York, NY: W. W. Norton &, 2008. N. pag. Print.
Clifford R. Backman, The Cultures of the West: A History. Volume 1: To 1750. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Perry, Marvin., et al. Sources of the Western Tradition. Volume II. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company., 1995.
Nugent, Walter. Into the West: the Story of Its People. New York: Alfred A Knopk, 1999.
For Pericles, Athenian values are realized through culture and “daily devotion.” He claims that Athenian citizens obey both “the laws themselves” and “agreed-on social values (which need no specific legislation),” not requiring legislation to uphold their values. Accordingly, Pericles views exceptionalism as intrinsic to Athenians. Boasting about the city, Pericles questions “how else did she become great but by this genius in her citizens?” A recommitment to civic values, therefore, is simple to Pericles: Athenians are exceptional at the moment of his speech, and must simply continue their past conduct in order to achieve future
Hunt, Lynn, et al. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's,
Coffin, Judith G, et al. Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture. 17th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 2011. Print.
Flory, Harriette, and Samuel Jenike. A World History: The Modern World. Volume 2. White Plains, NY: Longman, 1992. 42.
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.
Katharine J. Lualdi, Sources of The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures (Bedford/St. Martins: Boston, MA, 2012) 194. (Named as Primary Sources for the Middle Ages on our angel for History 102.)
Hobson, J. M., 2004. The Eastern Origins of Western Civilisation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 57
It is widely known that the Athenians highly valued their warrior class, and they saw the warriors as a ring of the higher circle of the society. The Athenians were very proud of Athena and its traditions, as well. Athenian’s thought that Athena was the best, none could be better. The funeral oration was aimed to respect the fallen as well as to keep up the national pride and its passion to protect their nation. The speech was a eulogy which focused on the eminence of Athens and its predecessors. Usually a son was chosen to give the eulogy. The law required the speech to have several essential components. The speech had to concerning the lives of the deceased. At his eulogy’s end, Pericles spoke in regard to the soldiers. The speech talked about the life that the departed lived and the achievements which they gained. Pericles wanted the citizens to recall the soldiers but to forget about the tragedy that had occurred. He wanted the departed’s lives to be remembered, but not their demise. The speech helped the Athenians appreciate what their ancestors had died for and how they shou...
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.
Lynn Hunt et al., The Making of the West: peoples and cultures, a Concise History (Boston:Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003), 43, 45, 132, 136, 179-180
Childress, Diana, and Bruce Watson. "The fall of the west." Calliope 11, no. 5 (January 2001): 27.