This excluded a majority of the population: slaves, freed slaves, children, women and metics (foreign residents in Athens). While Athens is widely regarded as the first historical example of a democratic system, some scholars believe that the Roman Empires republic system was more democratic than that of the Greek. Athens on the other hand had a democracy as stated in Document 3, an excerpt from Funeral Orations by Pericles a quotes from this excerpt states it is true that our government is a democracy, because its administration is in the hands, not of the few, but of many.. This quote clearly states that the type of government Athens has is a, Athens is superior towards Sparta throughout ancient Greek history. Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. These reasons include Pericles rise to power, the different members of government and their powers, and the changes in the idea of a democracy. During 750-500 B.C.E, Ancient Greece is a place that is known for some city-states, called poleis. 3 What were the advantages and disadvantages of the city-state model of government in Greece? In Ancient Athens, a new system arose that would greatly impact the course of history. Representative democracy is a government in which citizens vote for representatives who create and change laws that govern the people rather than getting to vote directly on the laws themselves. This information provided significantly when comparing modern societies to ancient Greece and also in justify as to why democracy was significant to Greece. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Lycurgus accomplished the consolidation. Greece is also quite mountainous. Sparta advantage. Additionally, the reliability affected by the emotive language being employed in this article as the author utilises this language it demonstrates that bias is present. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Monarchy (advantage) Middle class realized that they could make changes (leads to democracy) Tyranny (advantage) Other contrasting issues included womens rights, social classes, and value of human life. What are the disadvantages of Constitution? The purpose of this essay is to prove that ancient Greece wasnt truly democratic. Webdirect democracy; indirect democracy; Pericles : Assignment #6 : Sources: reading #1: "The Religion of the Ancient Greeks." Tyranny (disadvantage) Not a guarantee that the people chosen by lottery would make effective government decisions. But there are some differences between these two power houses. (Bulliet 99) From 1000 B.C.E to 30 B.C.E, Ancient Greeces view on individualism changed the political system Greece had, over time changed the way individuals thought and made important Intellectual changes, and gradually changed the Economic system such as bartering. To have a powerful and lasting empire with great prosperity you must have a series of strong leaders. In 508 BCE, the Athenian aristocrat Cleisthenes instituted the first Athenian political democracy. As the Greek playwright, Euripides wrote in his play that, Nothing is worse for a city than a tyrant. (Section 2.2The Rise of Democracy and the Threat of Persia) Cleisthenes knew that, so he gave every. Advantage: They had access to trade, transportation, fish, and water. Women, children, and slaves were not considered citizens and therefore could not vote. Who was not allowed to become a citizen of Greece? Athenians were the most scholarly types while the Spartans were more of the military type. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. WebHowever, Athens under the rule of Pericles should be considered a democracy for several reasons. As records were made available for public examination, there was a means of holding public officials to account. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Children were tortured to become strongerand all men would be fighting and stealing things just to survive. Slavery No pay labor 6%of the population had a right in democratic matters. WebThe Sea shaped the Greek civilizations as rivers did in the other ancient civilizations. They took politics very seriously and made sure that everyone had a voiced opinion. Unlike the Romans, Athenians had a strict but fair schedule that allowed them to enjoy citizenship equally. In the period known as classical Greece in the years 800-323 BCE, Greece comprised of small city states (poleis) which were considered and operated as independent small countries. Education was very important in Athens. 1 What are the pros and cons of Athenian society? Moreover, the article provided a perspective that highlighted the differences in Athenian democracy such as that Athens was a direct democracy and that only some of the population was eligible, it mainly created a feeling that Athens was advanced for its time however the system had discrepancies. On the other hand, Sparta had an oligarchy. Disadvantages: controlled little territory, many rivals/more conflict. The different city states had their own ideas on social control and values in their government. In fact, it adhered to a military oligarchy most of its existence. Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century B.C.E. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government. If they did not fulfill their duty they would be fined and sometimes marked with red paint. When you look at the literal definition of democracy in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there is a decently large explanation. Pros. This meant that they may not have represented mass opinion, whereas getting all males over the age of 18 involved in politics increased the likelihood of policies representing what people wanted. Ancient Greece was dominated by small city-states and independent towns, rather than by one all-powerful king, because of its geography. Strong land army, protection. During the late Archaic Greek and Classical periods, two particular city-states were in existence with significant similarities as well as differences. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. There was a constant importance of acknowledging all citizens hard work and participation. Lets look at two of them. They could veto law proposals or rulings made by the council or assembly (PBS 1). 1 What were the advantages and disadvantages of Greece? Athens government is a democracy which means all citizens get to take part. This society came to be known as one of the largest nations in Eurasia. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government. Athenian Values. Beginning with contrasts in government, Sparta, was an Oligarchy where most of the power was shared between two kings. It is tough terrain for attackers, and its also tough terrain for the Greeks. This means that the people of the said community can either rule directly or indirectly by electing officials to make decisions for the betterment of the people. Although the competing city-states of Sparta and Athens were individually different as well as governmentally diverse, they both managed to become dominating powers in Ancient Greece. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having mountains cover ancient Greece? The advantages of Greeks geography is that they had protection from invaders and some disadvantages were that they had a hard time farming and traveling. Spartas kings ruled until death or forcibly removed from office. It consists of two short words: demos which means either a citizen in a particular city-state or the lower orders, and kratos which means either rule or power - but these two are not of the same meaning. Athens is more superior than Sparta through, government, economy, and culture. While Athens seems to only have a democracy. Every citizen in Athens is allowed to take part in government, even poor citizens. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Athens was truly democratic because everyone had the equal justice, people were voted into office, and ones social class did not determine what a person could become. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. One of the many states of Greece, ancient Athens was indeed not truly democratic as a result of not inclusive, other than male citizens, to gain authority in ancient Athens, Demokratia was ruled by male citizens only, excluding women, free foreigners(Metics) and slaves.(Document D), therefore ruling Athens was only accessible to male citizen since since women, free foreigners(Metics), and slaves were not allowed to rule as a result of not being male citizens. Why Ancient Athens is better than Sparta? Democracy is the modern day standard for governmental systems. Two of the most well known and powerful city-states were Sparta and Athens. Athenss military prowess allowed them to look down on the other members of the League and treat them as members of an empire instead of equals. Great economy. The main disadvantage for the Athenians was that around 430 BCE, a plague struck Athens. By our understanding it was an oligarchy, not democracy. The word democracy is greek, the word demos means people and kratos means power. The two biggest city-states have always had issues. After Pericles died Athens could not defeat Sparta in the Peloponnesian War and also couldnt hold the truce that was signed in 421 BC which allowed Sparta to gain overall victory in the, The Democracy of Athens meant that the people rule themselves. Sparta, on the other hand, was recognized for its military strength. Being the birthplace of democracy gives Ancient Greece a very important reputation. One that originates from ancient Greece, at the cradle of civilisation.The word democracy comes from the Greek meaning the people and meaning power or rule. In ancient Athens, democracy was about aggregating, aligning and codifying useful knowledge. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. However up until 500 BCE, the concept of Democracy was a foreign concept, and the great civilizations of that era were run by monarchs, aristocrats, and religious leaders of sorts. The plague also led to social unrest and lack of unity. While Athens seems to only have a democracy. The city-states of Athens and Sparta are the best representatives of democracy and oligarchy, respectively. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. They also had five overseers who were elected to do regular every-day operations of Sparta. Each polis differ particular on economically, politically, and military, When in doubt, however, the city-states did not get along. It is a powerful word. All the sciences, democracy, philosophy etc were originally found in Athens. True democrats would elect all officials through voting by the people. This means they may make stupid decisions that do not benefit society. Athenians were the most scholarly types while the Spartans were more of the military type. This essay will focus on the reasons of why government is necessary in our society and why Direct Democracy is not fit for modern United States of America, although brought a splendid time for ancient Greece. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. In addition, citizens had the chance to spend time acting as council representatives, which gave them power and direct involvement with decision making. For instance the way that these cities were governed and their political procedures and functions were quite different from each other. Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. Why was the Athenian form of democracy a contradiction? In Document 2, an excerpt from The Spartan Constitution by Aristotle theres a quote that states they praise Lacedaemon because it is made up of oligarchy, monarchy, and democracy.. This quote tells exactly what type of government Sparta had. These factors empowered Sparta and led to the development of an authoritative and potent state. One of the many states of Greece, ancient Athens was indeed not truly democratic as a result of not inclusive, other than male citizens, to gain authority in ancient Athens, Demokratia was ruled by male citizens only, excluding women, free foreigners(Metics) and slaves.(Document D), therefore ruling Athens was only accessible to male citizen since since women, free foreigners(Metics), and slaves were not allowed to rule as a result of not being male citizens. What was the limits of democracy in ancient Greece? One of the earliest known democracies was in Athens, a city-state in southern, ancient Greece. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. They became skilled sailors. For example, if youre poor youre still able to serve the state or be part of the government. What is democracy? Weaknesses of the Athenian democracy include: The Athenian form of democracy was a contradiction in the sense that it did not allow participation of a large section of the public, namely, women and slaves. The ancient Greeks were the first to create a democracy. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. One reason why Athens had a greater respect for human rights is that they had a direct democracy, while Sparta had an oligarchy. Athenian democracy also had one-year term limits. Athenians made it clear that the poor helped build the city 's power and not just the wealthy. As I will come to. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. HomeBrowse. While Athens is widely regarded as the first historical example of a democratic system, some scholars believe that the Roman Empires republic system was more democratic than that of the Greek. Some of the strengths of Athenian democracy include making decisions based on the opinions of many rather than a few, giving responsibility to more citizens and making records available for public examination. Democracy (disadvantage) Only the elite or upper class had a role in government, lower class not represented. 6 What were the advantages and disadvantages of the city-state form of government? So that is why I conclude that ancient Athens was indeed not truly. Socrates did not care for the idea in general, and Aristotle thought it could, within a state, yield new forms of abuse of power. The people of Athens were interested in arts, music, and intellectual pursuits. Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. What this means is that all the citizens voted on all the laws. While Athens is widely regarded as the first historical example of a democratic system, some scholars believe that the Roman Empires republic system was more democratic than that of the Greek. Self- Government/Democracy: "Rule by the people." When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. Democracy (disadvantage) Only the elite or upper class had a role in government, lower class not represented. The Athenian democracy was not equitable, and it did not consider slaves and foreigners. In Athens, the ruler Draco tried to make many reforms in the city state. What else does he accomplish at the same time? Its population was over five times as great as the other small city-states. Democracy (disadvantage) Only the elite or upper class had a role in government, lower class not represented. Amongst those city states Athens and Sparta were two of the most powerful and considered in Greek history as the most influential states to western civilisation. The Athens was more superior then Sparta. A belief in shared power: based on a suspicion of concentrated power (whether by individuals, groups or governments). The Athenians were stronger because they had a better geography, government, cultural achievements, and I would rather live in the Athens. Advantages: Made it hard for enemies to get to Greece, Greeks developed very small, close kit communities, hill top lookouts for invaders. Disadvantage: Unpredictable sea, need boats to travel. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". One of the many states of Greece, ancient Athens, was indeed not truly democratic as a result of not even using the essentials of democracy that is used today, Thus, by our standards, it was oligarchy, not democracy.(Document D), therefore ancient Athens was not using democracy as their form of government, they were using oligarchy,another form of government in which a small group of people has power and control, as their form of government instead of democracy. Athens was full of life and the people living there appreciated all of what others had to offer: arts, music, life, and new cultures. Athens was a small city compared to Rome that honored and protected citizenship. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Unfortunately, the assembly was open to all citizens except women. Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. A source that shares this view is the Ted-Ed video this also similarly to historian Paul Cartledge states that Athens was a direct democracy and also that not all of the population had the right to. By the time one enters the third grade they become aware of concept of democracy. Press ESC to cancel. Each year 500 names were chosen from all the citizens of ancient Athens. Democracy in Athens the government officials are chosen by sweepstakes and worked for 1 year for proposing and enforcing decrees but didnt have much individual power. During 750-500 B.C.E, Ancient Greece is a place that is known for some city-states, called poleis. Today we think of democracy as majority rule. This is because of Athenian cultural achievements, government and social climate. Athens was the warm welcoming city-state in Ancient Greece, most unlike the horrific neighboring city-state, Sparta. Many people were disenfranchised. The direct democracy of Athens wasnt actually as inclusive and steady as the statement at Pericles 's funeral state, Our Constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people (Doc C). In fact, of the 450,000 citizens of Athens in 430 BC, only about 40,000 people had the power to vote. The Constitution represents the value and principles of democracy and republicanism by stressing liberty and inalienable rights as central values, making the people as a whole sovereign, rejecting inherited political power, expecting citizens to be independent in their performance of civic duties, and vilifies corruption. But, since foreigners, women, and slaves were not allowed to become citizens, democracy meant equality among those whousually by birthwere entitled to be citizens of a particular place. It may not be able to serve the needs of an emergency situation. The word democracy comes from two Greek words that mean people (demos) and rule (kratos). What are some pros and cons of Spartan society?
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