Download The Greek Roots of Democracy

The Greek Roots
of Democracy
Chapter 1 lesson 1
H-SS 10.1.1 analyze the similarities and
differences in Judeo-Christian and
Greco-Roman views of law, reason and
faith, and duties of the individual.
H-SS 10.1.2 Trace the development of
Western Political ideas of the rule of law
and illegitimacy of tyranny, using
selections from Plato’s Republic and
Aristotle’s Politics
Vocabulary
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City- State
Monarchy
Sparta
Athens
Democracy
Tyrant
legislature
Vocabulary
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Pericles
Jury
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Location and Geography
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Greece lies at the southern end of
the Balkan peninsula, surrounded by
the Mediterranean
Geography influenced history.
Mountainous terrain restricted
overland travel and limited farming
They became thinkers, writers and
artists
Rise of Greek City-States
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Classical Greece began around the
year 500 B.C.
Began as isolated city-states
700B.C. lack of fertile land prompted
Greeks to seek land overseas
Colonies appeared along the
Mediterranean from Spain to Egypt
Governing City-States
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City-State was called the polis
City was built on 2 levels. On the
hilltop was the acropolis (high city)
with marble temples. On the flat
ground was the marketplace, theater,
public, buildings and homes.
Population was small. Citizens shared
responsibility.
750-500 B.C.
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First a king ruled the polis
Power shifted to noble landowners
They were military defenders
As trade expanded a new class of
wealthy merchants emerged.
Changes in Warfare: Sparta
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The defense of the city-state fell to
the ordinary citizens
Sparta became a military state
At the age of 7 boys began training
for a life in the army
Girls were expected to produce
healthy sons for the army
Spartan Government
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Consisted of 2 kings and a council to
advise kings
An assembly made up of citizens
approved major decisions
Citizens were male, native-born,
over the age of 30
Athens: A limited democracy
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Athens was Northeast of Sparta
Here the idea of democracy first took
root
Around 700 BC nobles made
decisions
Citizens became resentful
594 BC the wise ruler Solon made
changes
Solon
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Outlawed debt slavery
Freed existing debt slaves
Opened offices to more citizens
Ensured fairness and justice
Citizenship remained limited
Unrest led to the rise of tyrants
Pisistratus/Cleisthenes
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Pisistratus was a tyrant who gave
farmers and poor citizens more
power.
Cleisthenes set up a council of 500
chosen by lot from citizens to
prepare laws and supervise
government, a legislature
Democracy was limited
Age of Pericles
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460-429 B.C.
Athenians participated in direct
democracy. Citizens took direct part
in day-to-day affairs
6,000 members had to be present to
decide on important issues
Pericles felt rich and poor should
participate, so he paid men who held
public office
Greek Philosophers
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Greeks had confidence in the power
of the human mind
They used observation and reason to
determine why things happened
The Greeks called the thinkers
“philosophers” which means “lovers
of wisdom”
Moral and Ethic Principles
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Ethics and morality concern the idea
of goodness and the establishment of
standards of human behavior
For example, how people should
dress and how government should
run
Sophists
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In Athens Sophists questioned
accepted ideas
Morals and ethics are simply
opinions, not principles
Success was more important
For a fee they would teach the art of
persuasion
Socrates
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Roamed the market place asking
people “What is for the greatest
good?”
He posed a series of questions to his
students and challenged them to
examine their answers.
This would help them to seek truth
and self knowledge
Socrates
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When he was 70 he was put on trial
He was accused of corrupting the youth
and failing to respect the gods
He was condemned to death by a jury
He was a defender of the democratic
process and wouldn’t escape.
Then individual should submit to the
needs of the state.
He drank a cup of hemlock tea.
Plato
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The execution of Socrates left him
with a distrust of democracy
He left Athens for 10 years
When he returned he set up the
Academy
He taught and wrote about his ideas
Through rational thought people
could learn how to best organize
society
Plato
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Wrote the Republic
Rejected Athenian Democracy
State should regulate every aspect of
citizens lives
Believed in equality at birth, but that
people can rise only as high as their
abilities would allow.
Plato’s ideal society
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Three class society
-workers to produce the necessities
of life
-soldiers to defend the state
-philosophers to rule
Aristotle
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Plato’s student
Analyzed all forms of government
Found good and bad in all
Suspicious of democracy, thought it
could lead to mob rule
Favored a constitutional government
ruled by middle class
Aristotle’s Polity
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Government ruled by middle class
Goal is to establish just and stable
rule
Believed that within the city-state
people could reach their full potential
and achieve the good life
Rulers should be subject to the law
Aristotle’s school
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The Lyceum
Studies included
Politics
 Ethics
 Logic
 Biology
 Literature
 And many others
These were the basis for the modern universities that
would emerge 1500 years later
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Alexander
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Aristotle left Athens when Plato died
He moved to Macedonia
Began tutoring the king’s 13 year old
son, Alexander
Alexander took throne after his
father died, he was 2o years old
Alexander’s army conquered area all
the way to the Indus river.
Alexander the Great
He dies 4 years after establishing his
empire
His generals split up the empire
The empire crumbled
Greek traders and soldiers settled in
the cities he established
Hellenistic civilization
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It is a blending of Greek, Persian,
Egyptian, and Indian influences
During the Hellenistic Age , Rome began
to emerge as a powerful new state
Rome would replace Greece as the
dominant Mediterranean culture
Greek ideas about law, freedom,
government and justice influenced
thinking to the present day.