Download Copy this Chart! Forms of Government in Greek City

Forms of Government in Greek CityStates
2000 B.C. to 400 B.C.
Page 53
March 10-11
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Forms of Government in Greek City-States 2000 B.C. to 400 B.C.
Forms of Government in Greek City-States:
2000 B.C. to 400 B.C.
Monarchy
• Under a monarchy, the power to make political decisions
is in the hands of one person, the king or queen.
• Most Greek city-states were ruled by monarchy from 2000
BC – 800 BC. By 800 BC kings did not rule most of Greece.
• Rulers inherited their power.
• Aristocrats, wealthy landowners, helped advise the king,
but later they wanted more power and overthrew the
king.
Transfer of Government Power
one person
Transfer of Government Power
one person
I depended on aristocrats to
help me and they gained too
much power.
Oligarchy
Oligarchy
• Oligarch means “few” in Greek.
• The power to make political decisions is in the hands of a
few people.
• By 800 BC most Greek city-states were ruled by a small
group of wealthy men.
• The oligarchs lived a very nice life, while the poor lived
very difficult lives and often had to sell themselves into
slavery to pay their debts.
Transfer of Government Power
one person
I depended on aristocrats to
help me and they gained
too much power.
a few people
Transfer of Government Power
one person
I depended on aristocrats to
help me and they gained
too much power.
a few people
we ignored the needs
of most people and
eventually the poor
turned to leaders in
the army.
Tyranny
Tyranny
• Under tyranny, the power to make political decisions is in
the hands of one person who is not a lawful ruler.
• During the mid 600s BC many Greek city-states were run by
tyrants who gained support by promising people more
rights.
• Some tyrants were not good rulers and eventually they
were overthrown by the people and a new form of
government was put into place.
Transfer of Government Power
one person
I depended on aristocrats to
help me and they gained
too much power.
one person
a few people
we ignored the needs of
most people and
eventually the poor turned
to leaders in the army.
Transfer of Government Power
one person
I depended on aristocrats to
help me and they gained
too much power.
one person
I ruled harshly, and the
people forced me out.
a few people
we ignored the needs of
most people and
eventually the poor turned
to leaders in the army.
Democracy
Democracy
• Under a democracy, the power to make political decisions
is in the hands of all citizens.
• Around 500 BC the people of Athens developed a
government system where they could govern themselves.
• Athens was a direct democracy where all citizens voted on
all issues.
• The U.S. is a representative democracy where we vote on
representatives to decide on important issues.
Transfer of Government Power
one person
a few people
we ignored the needs of
most people and
eventually the poor turned
to leaders in the army.
I depended on aristocrats to
help me and they gained
too much power.
one person
ll
itizens
I ruled harshly, and the people
forced me out.
en
other
ather
ree men
laves
omen
Timeline: Greek Governments
Greek Governments
Complete the following time line by identifying the type of
government ancient Greeks developed in each of the four
time periods. The four types of government are:
democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, and tyranny.
Which system of government do you think is the best? Which
system of government would you have preferred if you lived in
ancient Greece? Why?
Solon (594 B.C.)
Why did the common
people of Athens like
Solon?
How did Athenians feel
about the changes Solon
put in place?
Solon (594 B.C.)
textbook page 188
Why did the common people of
Athens like Solon?
ended the farmers debts, and freed
those who were enslaved due to
there debts. Also, he opened the
Assembly to ALL male citizens (not
just the wealthy).
How did Athenians feel about the
changes Solon put in place?
Some wealthy Athenians felt Solon
had gone too far, while poor
Athenians thought he had not gone
far enough.
Peisistratus (560 B.C.) TEXTBOOK PAGE 189
Explain the reforms that
Peisistratus made after he
took over the rule of
Athens.
Peisistratus (560 B.C.)
Explain the reforms that
Peisistratus made after he
took over the rule of Athens.
He divided large estates among farmers who
had no land. He provided loans to help
farmers buy equipment to work their farms.
He gave citizenship to Athenians who did not
own land. He also hired the poor
to construct temples and other public works.
Since religion was important in Athens,
Peisistratus built additional shrines to
different gods. Under Peisistratus, festivals
held to honor Athena were expanded by the
addition of athletic contests.
FYI: The ancient Olympic Games were held every four years at Olympia, in the western
part of Greece, in honor of the god Zeus. The first Olympics were organized in
776 B.C. According to one legend, the founder of the games was the hero Hercules. The
modern Olympics began in 1896 in Athens.
Cleisthenes (525 - 524 B.C.) textbook page 189
How did Cleisthenes's reforms help
make the Athenian government
more democratic?
Cleisthenes (525 - 524 B.C.) textbook page 189
How did Cleisthenes's reforms help
make the Athenian government
more democratic?
He created a new council of 500 citizens. The
council introduced laws and controlled the
treasury and managed relations with other
city-states. Each year Athenian citizens held a
lottery to choose the council members. They
thought an election might unfairly favor the
rich, who were well-known. Terms on the
council were limited to one year, and no one
could serve on the council for more than two
terms. Therefore every citizen had a chance to
be a council member.