Download Different City States

Different City States
Athens
• Geography:
• Attica (north of the
Peloponnesus)
Evolution of Government in
Athens
Monarchy
•Rule by one leader
•Mycenaeans
•Rule is hereditary and based on family ties, social rank, wealth
•Merchants and soldiers resented the power of the nobles
Aristocracy •Common people had no voice in the government
Tyranny
•Rule by one who seizes power
•Support for tyrants came from the middle class or peasants
•Not considered harsh or cruel at this time.
•Rule by all citizens
Democracy
First Step Towards Democracy
• Draco – A Tyrant
• Had a harsh written code of laws based
on idea that Athenians were equal under
the law
• The laws took away power from the
aristocrats to arbitrarily dictate what
was legal and what was not
• Arbitrarily=based on your personal
wishes; random
• Practiced debt slavery – debtors worked
as slaves to repay their debts
Closer to Democracy
• Solon
• Ended debt slavery and cancelled all
debts
• Extended citizenship to some
foreigners
• Allowed citizens to participate in the
Assembly and public courts
• All citizens could now participate
in government!
Father of Athenian Democracy
• Cleisthenes
• “The Father of Athenian
Democracy”
• Reorganized the Assembly and
increased its power
• Created the Council of 500
• Proposed laws and counseled the
assembly.
• Result: Democracy
Government in Athens after
Cleisthenes
• Council of 500
(Boule)
• Chosen by lot
• 500 people
• Created laws
• Presides over
meetings of the
Assembly
• Assembly
• Made up of any male
citizen that wished to
participate
• ~6000 people
• Voted on laws and
treaties
Principles of Democracy in
Athens
• Direct democracy: all citizens have a direct
say in laws, policies, and actions of the
government
• Public debate: public opinion and the voices of
the people will be heard
• Duties of the citizen: civic responsibility of
each person to take part
• Voting rights are to be cherished!
Athenian Education
• Mostly only the sons of wealthy families
received formal education.
• Goal was to prepare boys to be good citizens.
• Citizens were expected to debate issues in the
assembly, boys also received training in logic and
public speaking.
• When they got older, boys went to military
school to help them prepare for another
important duty of citizenship—defending
Athens
• Women did not attend school, educated to
become good wives and mothers
Ancient Sparta
Sparta
• Geography:
Peloponnesus
• Nearly cut off from the
rest of Greece by the
Gulf of Corinth.
Sparta – Building of a Military State
• While other city-state
founded colonies abroad,
Sparta conquered
neighboring Messenia and
their land.
• These Messenians became
helots.
• Helots – peasants forced to
stay on the land they worked
(basically slaves).
• Sparta demanded half of the
yearly crops produced by the
helots.
Sparta - Government
• Government: Oligarchy
• Rule by a small group.
• Society: aggressive
and militaristic
• Expected to serve in
the army until age 60
• Focused on making
Spartan soldiers
Sparta - Education
• Education: focus on the military
• Women had some military training and led hardy
lives. Ran family estates while husbands served
in the polis. More freedom then Athenian women
• Valued duty, strength, and discipline over
individuality, beauty, and freedom.