Download Athenian Democracy

Sparta
• Sparta was a Greek city-state.
• Sparta conquered other city-states
to gain wealth and power.
• There were three classes of people
in Sparta.
– Citizens, non-citizens, and slaves.
Sparta
• The Spartans owned many slaves known
as helots. They farmed Spartan estates.
• A group of Free individuals called
“perioeci” were artisans and merchants
from conquered territories who worked
for the Spartans.
• Together, these two groups
outnumbered the Spartans 200,000 to
10,000.
Sparta
• Around 650 B.C. the slaves revolted
against their Spartan masters;
• Took 30 years to quell the revolt
• The Spartans decided to maintain
power by establishing a military
society
Sparta
• All life in Sparta revolved around the army.
• Men strove to be first-rate soldiers
• Women worked to be good mothers of soldiers
• Spartans didn’t like other Greeks who chose to live
behind walls for protection
• Spartan men provided the best protection.
Sparta
• Only men born in Sparta were citizens.
• Women were not allowed to become citizens,
however, women were allowed to own land and
businesses, which gave them more freedom than
other Greek city-states.
• The second class in Sparta was people who came
from other city-states or other countries. They
could own businesses but not become citizens.
• The third class was slaves.
Sparta
• Learning to read and write in Sparta was
not very important.
• Training to become a good soldiers was
important.
• Young boys were taken from their parents
and trained to be soldiers as well as good
in sports such as running.
– The Agoge
• Girls were also trained to be good in
sports.
Sparta
•Married at age 19, not 14 (Greece)
•Increased likelihood of healthy baby
•Spartan women had more rights
•Could shop marketplace
•Attend dinners with non-family members
•Own property in their names
•Express opinions in public
•Could not participate in polis government
Sparta
• There were two Spartan kings— an oligarchy
•Didn’t have much power
• Primarily religious and military leadership
Sparta
 The Assembly was made up of all males over 20 and passed
laws and made decisions on war and peace.
 Each year, the Assembly elected five ephors who could veto
laws and performed certain administration functions.
 A Council of Elders, 28 men over 60, proposed laws to
Assembly and served as a supreme court.
Result of Militarism
• Succeeded in holding power over perioeci
and helots for 250 years
• Suspicious of new ideas and lagged behind
other cities in business
• Much poorer
• Lagged in intellectual development
• Exceptional athletes and best protector of
Greece
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Athens
• On a peninsula of central
Greece named Attica,
Mycenaean descendants
established the city-state of
Athens. The polis was named
after the goddess, Athena
Athens
• Initially, non-landowning citizens could not
participate in Athens’s Assembly.
• Unlike Sparta, Athens gradually expanded its
definition of citizenship to include more
people
• Eventually, all free men could be
members of the Assembly regardless of
what class they belonged to, even the
metics—foreign-born citizens
Athens
• The political change that
permitted more people to
participate in government
reduced much of the
friction between social
classes.
• Four successive leaders
brought changes
Draco’s Law Code
• Draco issued an improved code of written laws
• Aristocrats could no longer dictate what was
legal.
–Some of his laws were harsh: e.g.,death for
stealing cabbage.
–Over time, the term “draconian” has come to
mean something cruel and severe.
• Positive side — the laws were written down
and aristocrats could no langer take advantage
Solon’s Reforms
• Leader of Athens 594 B.C.
• Cancelled all debts and freed debtors from
slavery
• Solon improved economic conditions,
promoted trade, fostered industry, and
introduced political reforms that moved
Athens toward democracy
– Ordered fathers to teach sons a trade
– Established 2-house government for political
equality
Radical Reformers
• Peistratus (pih*SIHS*truh*tuhs)
–divided large estates among landless
farmers
–extended citizenship to men who did
not own land
–offered the poor loans and jobs.
Radical Reformers
• Cleisthenes came to power in 508 B.C.
– Introduced laws that established democracy
– Sought to
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End local rivalries
Break power of aristocracy
Extend guarantees to more citizens
Reorganize central government
Athenian Democracy
• Cleisthenes, the fourth leader to help
reform Athens, established democracy
for Athens; under Cleisthenes’
constitution, the Assembly won
increased powers and fully emerged as
the major political body.
Athenian Democracy
• Each year in a lottery, Athenian citizens chose
members of the Council of 500, who carried out daily
government business.
–Citizens favored a lottery believing all citizens
were capable of holding office.
–Elections, in their view, would unfavorably favor
the rich who had the advantage fame and training
in public speaking.
Athenian Democracy
• Although only 20 percent of Athenians were
citizens, ancient Athens laid the foundation for
the Western concept of democratic
government.
• Because Athens expected every citizen to hold
public office at some time in his life, it
required Athenian citizens to educate their
sons; girls rarely received a formal education.
Athenian Democracy
• Jury system decided court cases
– From 201 to 1001 members
– The more jurors, the less likelihood that they
would be bribed, threatened, or show prejudice
• Cleisthenes reforms lasted 200 years
• Foundation for Western concept of democracy
Athenian Education
• Athenian men educated because they were
expected to hold public office
• Women rarely educated
– Household duties—baking, weaving, etc.
• Private tutors educated wealthy boys
• Agora was location for much education
• Boys entered school at 7, graduate at 18
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Athenian Education
• Main textbooks were Iliad and
Odyssey
–Knew them by heart
• Arithmetic, drawing,
geometry, art, music
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