Athenian democracy

Athenian democracy developed around the 6th century BC in the Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Athens, which included the city of Athens and the nearby land called Attica. This system focused on supporting liberty, equality, and security for its citizens.

Although Athens is the most well-known democratic city-state in ancient Greece, it was not the only one. Many other Greek cities had similar democratic rules before Athens. By the late 4th century BC, about half of the over one thousand Greek cities may have been democracies.

In Athens, adult, free male citizens could take part in making laws and decisions. This group made up only about 30 percent of all adults. Important leaders like Solon, Cleisthenes, and Ephialtes helped shape Athenian democracy. Cleisthenes made a big change by grouping citizens based on where they lived instead of their wealth.

The leader who lasted the longest was Pericles. After he died, Athenian democracy was stopped for a short time by rulers who wanted less sharing of power, called oligarchic leaders, during the Peloponnesian War. Later, the system was changed a little when it started again under Eucleides.

Eventually, Athenian democracy ended when the Macedonians took control in 322 BC. Later, some of Athens' old ways were brought back, but it is not clear how close they were to the original democracy.

Etymology

The word "democracy" (Greek: dēmokratia, δημοκρατία) is made from two parts: dêmos (δῆμος), meaning "people" or "towns", and krátos (κράτος), meaning "force" or "power". Together, it literally means "people power".

We don’t know if the word "democracy" existed when the first democratic systems began. The earliest known use of the word comes from around 470 BC in the play The Suppliants. A line in the play says dēmou kratousa cheir, which means "the people's hand of power". This shows that the people had a say in important decisions, like allowing visitors to stay in the city.

Later, the historian Herodotus used the word in his book Histories. He talked about people "participating in a democracy" and used the word for "democracy" itself. Before "democracy", people used the word isonomia to describe fair and equal laws.

History

Development

Main article: Athenian Revolution

Athens was not the only city in Ancient Greece to have a democratic government. Other cities also made their own rules. Most stories about how democracy started focus on Athens because we know the most about it.

Before democracy, Athens was ruled by leaders called archons and a group of past leaders called the Areopagus. In 621 BC, Draco made laws that could be written down and used by courts. In 594 BC, Solon made changes to give more people a say in government. He let all free men help decide important matters.

Later, Cleisthenes made big changes in 508 and 507 BC. He created ten new groups so everyone felt connected to Athens. In 462/1 BC, Ephialtes made the Areopagus have less power.

After losing a big battle in 413 BC, some people tried to change the government, but it went back to democracy. This lasted until Athens was taken over by another country.

Related to modern democracy

Modern democracies are different from ancient Athens. Today, governments have checks and balances to make sure decisions are thought about carefully. They also try to include many different ideas so no small group has all the power.

Aftermath

After Athens lost power, it was ruled by others but kept some of its old ways. Later, Rome let Athens keep some control over its own affairs. Even under Roman rule, Athens kept some of its old leaders and traditions.

Participation and exclusion

Size and make-up of the Athenian population

Main article: Slavery in ancient Greece

The number of people living in ancient Athens changed over time. Around the 4th century BC, there may have been between 250,000 and 300,000 people in the area. Out of these, about 100,000 were families of citizens, and around 30,000 were adult men allowed to vote. Earlier, in the mid-5th century, there were perhaps 60,000 voting men, but this number dropped sharply during a big war. This was because rules about who could be a citizen became stricter.

Not everyone in Athens was a citizen. Many people were foreigners living there or slaves, and slaves may have been more numerous than citizens. One speaker around 338 BC said there were 150,000 slaves, but this might just be an estimate.

Citizenship in Athens

Only certain people could be citizens and vote in Athens. You had to be a grown-up male who finished special training. This meant only a small part of the population could vote — about 10% to 20%. Most people could not vote: this included slaves, freed slaves, children, women, and foreigners living in Athens.

Women had very few rights. They could not vote or take part in government. They were expected to stay mostly at home and were seen as less important than men.

Being a citizen usually meant you were born to Athenian parents. After some changes in laws around 450 BC, you needed both parents to be Athenian to be a citizen. Citizens could also sometimes be given special honors by the government, but this was rare.

Women in Athens

Women were never allowed to vote or hold public office in Athens. They were called different names than men and were not seen as full citizens. They were mostly kept away from public life and expected to work at home.

Men in Athens thought women should not be involved in government. Some believed women were not as smart or would make bad decisions. These ideas kept women from having the same rights as men. However, women were allowed to practice their religion.

Main bodies of government

Athens had many different ways of running its government over time. A book called the Constitution of the Athenians describes how Athens was organized.

Athens had three main groups where citizens met: the assembly, the council of 500, and the courts. The assembly and the courts were the most powerful. In the assembly, any adult male citizen over 20 could speak and vote. The assembly made important decisions like going to war or giving rights to foreigners.

The council of 500 helped prepare matters for the assembly to discuss. Members were chosen by lot and had to be at least 30 years old. The courts handled legal cases and had jurors chosen by lot, usually over 30 years old. Unlike council members, jurors could not be reviewed or punished for their decisions.

Criticism

Athenian democracy faced many criticisms, both in ancient times and today. Ancient critics like Thucydides, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, and a writer called the Old Oligarch thought democracy was too open. They believed ordinary people were not the best to lead and could make big mistakes.

One famous criticism involves the trial of six generals in 406 BC. After a naval battle, a storm prevented them from saving all sailors. The people tried and punished the generals together, which broke Athenian law. Later, they regretted this decision.

Another major criticism is the trial of the philosopher Socrates in 399 BC. He was punished for ideas that some Athenians disliked. This event is often discussed when talking about problems in democratic rule.

Plato and Aristotle also argued that democracy was unfair, saying it let too many people have equal power when only wise leaders should decide. They thought rich and poor should not have the same say.

Some also said that Athenian democracy worked with an empire, using other cities for resources. This sometimes led to harsh actions, like taking over other places by force.

Over time, Athens changed its democracy to fix some problems. Laws were made more carefully, and decisions were reviewed by smaller groups of people who took oaths. But these changes meant the government could not act as quickly in emergencies.

Today, people still discuss Athenian democracy. Some think it was a great idea but incomplete because not everyone could join. Others believe it was not true democracy because many people, like women and slaves, could not vote or hold office. Still, Athens remains an important example in discussions about how governments should work.

Legacy

After Athenian democracy ended, many people did not think it was a good way to govern. Famous thinkers like Plato and Aristotle described it in negative ways, and for a long time, democracy was seen as unfair rule.

Later, during the time of the American and French revolutions, leaders looked to ancient Rome for inspiration rather than Athens. It wasn't until the 19th century that some began to appreciate the strengths of Athenian democracy. Writers like George Grote argued that it was not unfair but a strong system when citizens were well-educated.

After World War II, the idea of democracy changed. It was no longer just one way to govern but became the main system for fair and equal societies.

References and sources