Download Theme: Politics

Ancient Greece
• Theme: Geography
• Theme: Economics
• Theme: Politics
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Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 4
Slide 5
Slide 6
•Theme: Religion
•Theme: Society & Culture
-Slide 1
-Slide2
•Theme: Science & Tech.
-Slide 1
-Slide 2
Theme: Geography
I.
Greece
A.
B.
C.
D.
rocky, mountainous land
surrounded by water (peninsula)
many islands
few flat areas for farmland
2R
3R
Theme: Economics
I.
Trading
A.
B.
Early traders: Minoans and Mycenaeans
Traded wood, olive oil & pottery for copper,
gold, silver and jewels
C. Traded for food products they needed
D. Trading helped them learn new ideas from
other cultures
4R
Theme: Politics
I.
Oligarchy
A.
B.
Benefits
1. More than one person ruling
2. Free men were citizens
Drawbacks
1. Only a few rich landowners (aristocrats)
ran the city’s economy ($$$), were generals
& judges
2. Common people had little say
4R
Theme: Politics
II. Tyranny
A.
B.
Benefits
1. Overthrew the Oligarchy
2. Good leaders with strong armies & support people
3. Tyrants seized power to reform laws, aid the poor,
and cancel debts
Drawbacks
1. Tyrant held power through use of force
2. Common people had little say
3. Some tyrants became harsh & greedy & were
overthrown
4R
Theme: Politics
III. Democracy
A.
B.
Benefits
1. All citizens have a say in government
2. All citizens have the right to express opinions
3. Power of nobles is limited
Drawbacks
1. Women, slaves, and foreigners have no say in
government
2. Difficult to make decisions with so many people
3. Sometimes citizens were forced to attend
assembly
4R
Theme: Politics
C. Direct Democracy (Athens) – each & every
citizen debated & voted on every issue, created &
enforced laws, & were judges.
D. Representative Democracy (United
States) – citizens elect representatives to debate
& vote on issues, create & enforce laws, & be
judges.
4R
Theme: Politics
IV. The Persian Wars
A.
B.
C.
Series of wars between Persia and Greece
The Persian army was strong and well organized
Greeks won because they had better weapons and
clever leaders.
V. The Peloponnesian War
A.
B.
C.
Sparta declared war to stop Athens’ growth
Greek cities feared Athens would control Greece
Sparta defeats Athens and becomes the most
powerful city-state in Greece
4R
Theme: Politics
VI. Alexander the Great
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Brilliant commander
The Egyptians surrendered without a fight and
crowned Alexander pharaoh
Becomes ruler of what had been the Persian Empire
After crossing the Indus River his exhausted troops
refused to fight any more
Alexander admired and enjoyed Greek culture and
ideas so much that he spread them throughout his
empire
5R
Theme: Religion
I.
Greek Gods
A.
B.
Myths used to explain events like thunder,
earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions
Gods center of Greek myths
6R
Theme: Society and Culture
I.
Classical Age
A. Polis – small city-state
B. City-state – foundation of civilization
1. Gave people an identity
2. People participated in economy &
government
3. People thought of themselves as
residents of the city-state, not as Greeks
6R
Theme: Society & Culture
II.
Sparta
A.
Society dominated by the military
B.
Military power provided security and
protection for their city
C.
Boys were trained from an early age to be
soldiers
D.
Spartan woman had more rights than other
Greek women
III. Athens
A.
Valued education, clear thinking and arts
B.
Athenian women had few rights
7R
Theme: Science and Technology
I.
Greek writers produced
A.
Epic poems
1. Iliad and Odyssey by Homer
B.
Romantic poetry
C.
Famous stories
D. Lyric poetry (poems set to music)
E.
Fables
7R
Theme: Science & Technology
II.
Philosophers
A.
Believed in the power of the human mind to think,
explain, and understand life
1. Socrates – taught by asking questions
2. Plato – created the Academy
3. Aristotle – taught that people should live lives of
moderation, or balance
The many achievements of ancient Greece
were important because they shaped
Western civilization