Download My World History Chapter 10 – Ancient Greece: Secti

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My World History
Chapter 10 – Ancient Greece: Section 3 “Democracy in Athens” pp. 312 - 317
Terms to understand when reading:
Governmental structures in Greece – Most people agree that the seeds of our democratic society are rooted in the early
government structure of the great Greek city of ancient Athens. However, the change towards a democratic society did not
happen quickly. The Greeks experimented with several forms of government and most city-states did not agree on
forming only one united government structure. Around 508 B.C., leaders in Athens rebelled against the Spartan style of
government and began the process of moving towards a government ruled by the many instead of the few. The terms
below define the common government styles one would encounter throughout the city-states of ancient Greece.
a. oligarchy - This is a style of government where the political power is wielded by only a select few who were
always members of the ruling aristocracy. In ancient Greece, there were usually 5 members of a council who
decided all the laws, rules, and punishments for the lower classes. The warring city-state of Sparta had an
oligarchy system of rule. The citizenship was denied a voice or in their government and there were no voting
rights.
b. tyranny – The main difference between an oligarchy and a tyranny is that a tyranny is a form of government
that is run entirely by one key political figure head. The tyrant leader often gains support by offering to
improve the lives of the poorer members of the citizenship. Sometimes these tyrants keep their promises, but
often they do not and may treat their citizens cruelly and unfairly. There is no opportunity to have a voice in
such a government, and those who speak out openly against their leader often risk their lives. Today, when a
leader is acting in a cruel or unfair manner, the leader is referred to as tyrannical. A synonym for tyrant is a
despot.
c. direct democracy – This is the form of government that evolved in the city of Athens. In this system of
government, all the declared citizens participate in the decision-making regarding concerns facing the city.
The citizens could vote on key laws and determine foreign policy such as whether or not to go to war. The
structure of this form of government is much more layered than the other governments mentioned. The
primary structure consists of the following:
1. assembly – refers to all citizens of Athens (Recall that citizens DID NOT include women, children,
metics, and slaves. Also, later rules stipulated that citizens had to have both a Greek born mother and
father.) The male members of this assembly had to have completed at least two years of military
duty/training…the general entry age for the assembly was 21. The assembly members had direct voice
and voting rights related to proposed domestic (home based) legislation and decision related to handling
matters with foreign lands. During the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., it is estimated that the assemblies
would have numbered somewhere around 30,000 men.
2. boule – was a 500 person council and these members were chosen by lottery from among the 10 clans –
50 members from each clan. (Aim to think of clans like a city’s various districts such as East Boston, the
North End, Charlestown, etc.) This system ensured that the council had a balance of both wealthy and
poor members. This was a pretty revolutionary practice for these ancient times. The boule voted on
issue brought to them by the assembly. In a sense, they were like the first representatives of a
government, but with a big difference: They administered over many policies, but they did not initiate
these policies. Creating policies was the job of the assembly.
3. council subcommittees – These were just what the name suggests: they were smaller subgroups of the
boule council and generally handled issues related to finance and religion.
4. juries – The courts represented the third “branch” of Athenian government. Unlike our jury system, the
juries of ancient Greece were huge; they could easily number from the hundreds to thousands of citizens
whose role was to decide the fate of an accused.
5. archons – These were the nine judges that acted as advisors in jury cases. Originally, most archons
came from the aristocracy and served for 10 years. Later, this policy changed to serving only one year.
6. ostracism – This is a process by which an individual would be banished from the city-state for a period
of at least 10 years for being a perceived threat to the Athenian democratic system. It would take a vote
of 6000 citizens (scratching the individual’s name on a piece of broken pottery called ostraca) and placed
in a collective urn to banish a person from the society.
Key Athenian government leaders –
a. Draco – an oligarchic leader who dispensed harsh punishments for all offenses. We use the English word
draconian to describe laws that are seen as being unreasonably harsh or cruel.
b. military generals – due to their excellent leadership in overcoming enemies such as the Persians, certain
military generals such as Themistocles often became leading politicians in Athens. The aristocracy felt an
obligation to share some of the power with these war heroes as this type of gesture generally pleased the
overall citizenry.
c. Cleisthenes (also spelled Kleisthenes) – an Athenian politician who increased the power of the assembly,
increasing the number of citizens who could vote by reducing the sole power of the rich (no longer had to be
land holders), and introduced the concept of a jury system where peers judge the accused.
d. Pericles – perhaps one of the most influential leaders in ancient Athens. Pericles came from the aristocracy
but he was very invested in maintaining a democratic society for Athenians. He ushered in new policies such
as paying citizens to sit on a jury (a custom that continues today in America) and for working in other civic
duties. This concept of true citizenship (though, once again, not everyone was considered a citizen) made
Athens a model for other city-states to follow.
Directions: The following terms and questions need to be answered in neatly written, well-structured sentences
on lined paper or they may be typed. You must rephrase each question in your response. Do not begin any
response with a pronoun or the word because. All class work and homework must state your name,
homework number, date, chapter and section.
A. Combine the following terms from your text into well-developed sentences that relate to ancient Greek
democracy.
1. oligarchy and tyranny:
2. assembly and boule:
B. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Remember to rephrase the question.
1. Explain the term phalanx in detail. Why would being a member of a phalanx help to give a man more
of a voice in the Athenian government?
2. Why is education important in a democracy?
3. Explain the main political body of the Athenian government. Look at the chart on page 316 for
guidance.
4. How does a direct democracy differ from a representative democracy?
5. Extra Credit: Compare the government of ancient Athens to our modern day democratic government
in the United States. Explain 3 ways in which the governments are similar and give precise examples.