Athenian Democracy Essay examples - 1278 Words

Today, much of the world’s governments have converted to democracies. In the Ancient World, there was only one truly notable example of a democratic society: The City-State of Athens. This is actually the birthplace of democracy, where instead of the rich or powerful ruling, it was the citizens of the city-state that held the power. This advanced way of government was so effective and well structured, it even laid the foundations for the development of our own democracy, right here in the United States, over 2,000 years in the future. Prior to Athens’s collapse during the Peloponnesian War, it truly had an efficient and very organized system of government. Democracy in Athens can be traced back to 594 B.C.E, when Solon was given the†¦show more content†¦Cleisthenes then introduced his own reforms for Athens. He gave more power to the Assembly of Athens and less power to the aristocrats. He then divided all of Attica into ten tribes, which were called phylai. Ea ch tribe in turn was given three pieces of land, which each contained many little villages called demes. The demes all together would then participate in the government by voting for people to make up the Council. The chain of command for the government of Athens was pretty straightforward. At the very top was the strategoi, the military commanders. There were ten of these, one strategos voted for each tribe. They each served for one year, however unlike the other officials, the strategoi could be reelected to their positions an unlimited number of times. â€Å"This is based on the wisdom that frequently overhauling military leadership during a war or other national emergency can prove dangerous or even disastrous† (Nardo 46). One prominent example of this was Pericles, who was extremely popular and was reelected over twenty times before his death. The duty of the strategoi was to carry out orders given by the Council and Assembly. They also regularly carried out foreign poli cy initiatives. Next was the ruling group, also known as the prytany. The prytany provided individuals who were available at all times in case a crisis broke out and needed attention (Ancient Civilizations 26). After them was theShow MoreRelatedDemocracy And Athenian Democracy972 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people.† (Dale. Civilizations in History. Alternative Two. Pg. 92) This quotation perfectly summarizes Athenian democracy, a system in which all citizens had a say in affecting their daily lives. This is a contrast to Spartan oligarchy, which limited power to a small group of men. Athenian democracy encouraged citizens to use their voice and consequently make an impact on their society. The governmentRead MoreThe Use of Rhetoric In Athenian Democracy Essay1814 Words   |  8 PagesRhetoric was a major factor in the development and maintenance of the Athenian government and was used by many in order to gain power and ascend in politics. The ascendance of the great demagogues in Athens during the time of the Peloponnesian war was heavily influenced by their rhetoric and ability to effectively guide the Athenian democracy. The democratic government was composed of two gr oups: â€Å"public speakers [†¦], those who made proposals and publicly argued for or against political projectsRead MoreEvolution of Democracy and the Athenian Constitution Essay4268 Words   |  18 PagesEvolution 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 remarkableRead MoreAthenian Democracy Influenced Western Political Thought1013 Words   |  5 Pagesintend to show that ancient Athenian democracy influenced western political thought, specifically, western democracies. By influencing such modern day democracies, ancient Greek culture remains a presence in contemporary life. Introduction Approximately 2500 years ago a series of changes and reformations in political thought led to the creation of the ancient Athenian democracy. Through the changes implemented by Solon and Cleisthenes during the Golden Age of Greece, democracy was born in Athens. AlthoughRead MoreThe Athenian Democracy Compared to Todays Democracy1904 Words   |  8 Pages 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. TheRead MoreEssay on Athenian definition of democracy1213 Words   |  5 Pages Discuss the Athenian definition of democracy. Is the city s tate the only kind of state in which true democracy can exist? What happens to democracy when it is applied to a society with a large dispersed population? What are other examples of democratic societies besides Athens? Compare and contrast Athenian democracy with American democracy. Is the United States a democracy in the classical sense of the word? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The ancient Greek word quot;demokratiaquot; was ambiguousRead MoreAthenian Democracy and Divination Essay2601 Words   |  11 PagesAthenian Democracy and Divination Divination was a prevalent feature in Archaic Greece, as it provided objective advice, to assist people in making appropriate decisions in problematic predicaments. In certain situations its ambiguity allowed decisions to be postponed, or blame to be assigned to others. Divination was also used to explain matters that seemed unexplainable, such as crop failure or drought. This is illustrated in the Homeric epics, which depicts numerousRead MoreAthenian Democracy : A Democratic System1320 Words   |  6 Pagesrulership. The Athenian democracy was developed by the efforts of the leaders and philosophers who were encouraged to think and answer the why freely. Although it was called a democratic system, only male citizens had the opportunity to participate. In this essay, I will discuss how the Athenian democratic system was developed, why, and the efforts of the Greek thinkers in developing the Athenian democracy. Additionally, we will have the chance to examine if it was truly democratic. The Athenian democracyRead MoreWhat are the Unique Traits of Athenian Democracy? Essay918 Words   |  4 Pages 29 September 2013 What are the Unique Traits of Athenian Democracy? There are several traits that make Athenian democracy unique not only in the ancient world but also in the modern world as well. For the first time in recorded history, citizens had a say in what laws were to govern them . Democracy was an unknown and alien concept in the ancient world, and Athenians knew that their political process was different in and they were intensely proud of it. â€Å"Our form of government does not enterRead MoreComparing US Democratic Republic, Roman Republic, and Athenian Democracy Governments647 Words   |  3 Pages In the past, different civilizations have been ruled by different forms of government. The U.S. Democratic Republic, the Roman Republic, and the Athenian Democracy have similar and different functions of how they run their government. In the U.S. Democratic Republic, it has all three branches of government which are the legislature, executive, and the judicial branch. Their legislative branch has a Senate of 100 members and theyre elected by the people for a six-year-term. The Senates make laws