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Political System
What is a Political System
• Members of a social organization who
are in power
• Set of formal legal institutions that
constitute a "government" or a "state.”
– Government: the continuous exercise of
authority over and the performance of
functions for a political unit
– Different forms of government throughout
history
Greek Government
Greeks did not develop political unity
 Created polis (city-states)
 Most city-states covered 50 to
500 square miles
 Home to fewer than 10,000
residents
 Acropolis – gathering place to
discuss city government
The Acropolis Today
Greek Polis
Types of Rule in City-States (Polis)
Monarchy
Aristocracy
Oligarchy
Direct
Democracy
Rule by a king
Rule by nobility
Rule by a few
powerful people
State ruled by its
citizens
Rule is hereditary Social status and
(passed on within wealth support
the family)
rulers’ authority
Rule is based on
wealth or ability
Rule based on
citizenship
Practiced in
Mycenae
Practiced in
Sparta
Majority rules
Practiced in
Athens prior 594
BCE
Practiced in
Athens by 500
BCE
Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
621 B.C. – Draco ruled
• all Athenians equal under the law
594 B.C. – Solon establishes a direct
democracy

All citizens participate
in government

Only males were
citizens

Outlawed slavery

Created 4 social
classes according to
wealth
 top 3 could hold
office
Solon
Athens-Democracy (Continued)
500 B.C. – Cleisthenes organized
citizens in 10 groups

Created council of
500

Proposed laws

Council members
chosen at random

Only free adult
male property
owners born in
Athens were
citizens

Women, slaves,
foreigners
excluded
Athenian Education
Athenian Males

Sons of wealthy got formal education at age 7

Two years of military service at age 18

Active service is called hoplites (infantry)

Right to speak and vote in the Assembly

At age 30, could serve in the Council of 500

Women, very little to do outside of family life
Sparta Builds a Military State
•
2nd Most Important City-State
•
Very different from Athens
•
Built a military state and was ruled through a Oligarchy
 Conquered Laconia & Messenia
 Slaves became known as Helots
•
Didn’t care about Democracy & Arts
•
“Spartan” means highly self-disciplined
Spartan Government & Society
•
•
Council of Elders

30 yr. older citizens: proposed laws

5 elected officials carried out laws
Oligarchy

•
2 kings ruled Sparta’s military force
Social Order

Original inhabitants

Noncitizens: worked in commerce/industry

Helots: field & house servants
Early Republic
►Res
publica---this means public
affair
►Republic---a
form of government in
which the people have the right to
vote for their leaders
Government Under
Republic
►Consuls---they
were like kings in that
they controlled the army and directed
the government
►2
people served as consuls at one time
►Could
only serve for 1 year and they
could overrule the other’s decisions
►Senate---aristocratic
Rome’s government
►Consisted
►Had
branch of
of 300 members
both legislative and
administrative functions
Struggle for Power
►Two
different groups of people
struggled for power
 Patricians
 Plebeians
Patricians
►Wealthy
►Inherited
status
►Claimed
landowners
their power and social
their ancestry gave them
to authority to make laws for Rome
Plebeians
► Common
owners
► Were
farmers, Artisans, and merchant
allowed to create tribunes---an
assembly created to help protect the rights
of the Plebeians from unfair acts of the
Patrician officials
► Created
► Began
Plebeians are
Successful!!!
a written set of laws
to write laws on tablets
► Hung
in Forum---the center of Roman
Empire
► Twelve
Tables---idea that all free citizens had
a right to protection of the law
Republic Collapses
►Reasons
why
 Increasing wealth
 Expanding borders
 Discontent of the lower classes
►Took
Julius Caesar
Emerges
control because so many other
commanders were fighting
►Combined
forces with Pompey and
Crassus to rule Rome
►Dominated
Rome for 10 years together
Caesar’s Reforms
►Granted
Roman citizenship
►Expanded the Senate
►Created jobs for the poor
►Started colonies for people who
did not own land
►Increased the pay for soldiers
Hatred of Caesar
►Many
nobles and senators did not
like Caesar having so much power
►Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius
plotted his assassination
►March
15, 44 b.c. Caesar was
stabbed to death in the senate
chamber
Beginning of the
Empire
► Caesar’s
grandnephew—Octavian---became
ruler of Rome along with Antony
► Antony
left to be with Cleopatra
► Octavian
defeated Antony and Cleopatra--they both committed suicide after the defeat
Octavian
►Grandnephew
►Ruler
of Caesar
of Rome
the title of Augustus--”exalted one”
►Accepted
►Imperator---”supreme
military
commander” this is where the term
emperor comes from
Pax Romano
► For
about 207 years after Augusts’ rule,
Rome was in a period of peace and
prosperity
► This
was known as Pax Romano
► This
meant “Roman Peace”