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Cleisthenes
I.
Cleisthenes
a. Athens – 510 BC/BCE
b. The Tyrant Hippias had been kicked out of Athens for being a
bad leader
c. Cleisthenes was an Athenian Aristocrat
i. Rich and powerful person
ii. He wanted more power…he wanted to rule
d. Tyrranies were unpopular with the people, so he could not be a
tyrant
II.
Cleisthenes decides to get power by giving it to the people
a. He devises a new system for making decisions
1. Each Athenian male citizen gets 1 vote
2. Will vote on major decisions
a. Going to war
b. Starting a colony
3. The entire citizenry was known as the Assembly
b. Assembly could not meet every day
1. People had jobs
2. A smaller body was created to handle smaller
matters
a. The Council of 500
b. People chosen by lottery
c. 1 year term
c. System was known as Democracy
III. How does this system benefit Cleisthenes
i. He fixes the lottery so that his family (The Alcmaeonids)
are always represented in the council of 500
1. They vote together in 1 block
2. New people will defer to them because they have
experience