Download Athens and Democracy

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Period __________
Athens and Democracy
Athens is the capital and largest city in modern
In 594BCE, Solon became the leader of Athens.
Greece, but Athens also has a long history that
Solon repealed Draco’s harshest laws and
dates back 7000 years. Modern ideas about
assembled a group of ordinary citizens to vote on
democracy first developed in ancient Athens. Unlike
how Athens was to be governed. The Assembly
Sparta, it was difficult for the
gathered forty times a year and was open to all male
rulers of ancient Athens to have
citizens with at least two years of military service.
complete control over their
The word for people in ancient Greek was demo;
citizens. Athens developed as a
kratos meant rule (demo + kratos). The government
merchant poli, or city-state,
created by Solon was a democracy, where the
whose ships traded with many
people ruled the polis. Most modern democratic
faraway places. The traders
nations have elected representatives to make laws,
were exposed to many new
but ancient Athens was a direct democracy because
ideas.
the citizens acted as lawmakers. Direct democracy
The first Athenian rulers
was possible in ancient Athens and is how many
were warriors who controlled the poli by force. The
small towns govern today, but gathering all citizens
warrior families called themselves aristocrats. The
together to make decisions is not practical in large
root aristoi- comes from a Greek word meaning “best
countries such as the United States.
people.” The tyrant was the leader of the
Only adult males born in Athens participated in
aristocrats. Today we use the term tyrant to
the assembly. Athens encouraged outsiders to
describe a cruel ruler, but many of the Athenian
move to their polis, but only free-born males could
tyrants were kind and effective leaders. One tyrant
vote. Women could own property but were not
named Draco created a written legal system and a
allowed to vote. The members of the Assembly had
court to enforce his laws. Draco’s court ordered
time to work on public affairs because slaves did
harsh punishments for even minor offenses. Today
most of the physical work in the polis. About one in
we use the word draconian to describe laws that are
four people living in Athens were slaves. The
unnecessarily harsh or unjust.
members of the Assembly accounted for only about
The Athenian army fought in a phalanx, which is
a military formation of soldiers with overlapping
one-fourth of the total population of Athens.
Participation in government by common people
shields that moved together as a unit. The mighty
was an idea that eventually became a model for
phalanx was more powerful than any individual
other governments. The democratic government in
aristocratic warrior. Soldiers no longer needed to be
Athens inspired those who wrote the Constitution of
wealthy enough to afford a horse, so Athenians from
the United States. Although Athenian democracy
less prosperous families could join the army. The
was limited, it gave some people the opportunity to
aristocratic leaders learned to consider the needs of
make decisions about how they were governed.
all Athenian families to keep from losing support
from the army.
Name ______________________________
Period __________
Answer in complete sentences
1. Who were the aristocrats of ancient Athens?
2. Why was it difficult for the aristocrats to control the citizens of Athens?
3. Explain why the phalanx was a factor in the development of Athenian democracy.
4. How did Solon change how Athens was governed?
5. How was the assembly an example of direct democracy?
6. Explain why Athenian democracy was limited.
7. Compare and contrast Athenian democracy with the government of the United States.
Name ______________________________
Period __________
Answer in complete sentences
1. Who were the aristocrats of ancient Athens? (paragraph 2)
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2. Why was it difficult for the aristocrats to control the citizens of Athens? (paragraph 1)
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3. What is a phalanx? (paragraph 3)
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4. How did the phalanx allow more soldiers to join the Athenian army? (paragraph 3)
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5. How did Solon change the way Athens was governed? (paragraphs 4-5)
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6. How was the assembly an example of direct democracy? (paragraph 5)
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7. Identify who could be in the Athenian democracy (government).
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8. Compare and contrast Athenian democracy with the government of the United States.
Athens
United States