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Big Idea: The people of Athens tried many different forms of government before creating a democracy Main Ideas: Aristocrats and tyrants ruled early Athens Athens created the world’s first democracy Acient democracy was different than modern democracy Types of Governments Monarchy – a form of government in which a single family rules from generation to generation Absolute monarchy – exists hen the monarch has no or few legal limitations in political matters Constitutional monarchies – exist when the monarch retains a distinctive legal and ceremonial role but exercises limited or no political power Democracy – a form of government in which power belongs to the people Direct democracy – all eligible citizens have direct participation in the decision making of the government Representative democracy – in which citizens exercise their power through elected representatives Oligarchy – form of government in which all power resides in a few people or in a dominant class or group within society Early Forms of Government Earliest governments were monarchies ruled by king King, however, did not have absolute power, nor was power automatically passed on to heirs King’s authority limited by rights and powers of aristocrats who acted as counsellors During Dark Ages, many kings lost some or all power to aristocracy Ruled by aristocratic families replaced monarchy in most Greek states Athens was the city where democracy was born, but it started out as an oligarchy: a government in which only a few people hold power A group of rich landowners called aristocrats held power Aristocratic Culture For better part of 7th and 6th centuries, aristocrats dominated poleis Aristocrats not only pursued wealth, power and glory, but a distinct culture and defining lifestyle Gathering of symposium: enjoy wine, poetry, dancing, music, sexual services Homosexuality was another important aspect of aristocratic culture in Archaic Period Typically, a man in his late 20s to late 30s and on the rise in political life would take as his lover and protege an aristocratic youth in his early to mid-teens The two would form a close and intimate bond of friendship, in which sexual intercourse played an important role Intimate bond believed to benefit younger partner, as he learned workings of governmnet and society and made important political and social connections that would benefit him later in life Hoplite Warfare Introduction of hoplite tactics during Archaic Period brought aristocratic dominance to an end Hoplites were foot soldiers, armed with spears or short swords and protected by a large round shield (a hopla), a breastplate, a helmet and sometimes wrist and leg guards In battle, they stood shoulder to shoulder in a close formation called a phalanx, several rows across and several lines deep, with each hoplite carrying his shield on the left arm to protect the unshielded right side of man standing next to him An impenetrable wall of armor and weaponry Tight formation and heavy armor (as much as 70 lbs including shield) required the ability to stay together As long as pharanx remained intact, it was a nearly unbeatable formation Hoplite Every polis needed a hoplite force to protect its independence Hoplite class developed Men became indispensable to the polis’s survival Became equals with aristocracy Hoplites wanted a share in decision-making In monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, poor lack power – at times rebelled – wealthy person seeking power could use anger of poor to gain support Rise of Tyranny Circles of political power narrowed during 7th century, violence between aristocratic groups increased Gave rise to emergence of tyranny as an alternate form of government Tyrannos or tyrant, someone who seized power and ruled unconstitutionally (for good or bad) A greek tyrant was usually an aristocrat who had become tired of his exclusion from the elite or frustrated with fighting among aristocratic factions They appealed to Hoplite class to propel them to a position of power Tyrannies rarely lasted for more than two generations Most tyrants were good administrators Because they seized power by force and because a few did govern harshly, the word “tyrant” is more commonly associated with its present meaning of cruel and unjust ruler Rise of Democracy in Athens When king of Athens lost much of his power, the position of archon was created An archon was a land-holding aristocrat appointed to office with the responsibility of supervising government administration It became practice for a citizen assembly of landowners to elect the archons for a term of one year After their one year term, they became lifetime members of the Aeropagus Council which elected the archons Foundations of Democratic Rule Four men helped establish democracy: Draco, Solon, Pisistratus and Cleisthenes Athens was deeply divided by class Continuing problems between aristocrats and common citizens Power was in hands of aristocrats Commoners had no political rights Draco Solon Pisistratus Cleisthenes Draco and Solon 621 BCE: Draco elected archon Main contribution was to codify Athenian laws so that they would apply to all citizens Laws offered the common people more protection and pointed the way to universal legal rights Under Draco's codes, even the most trivial of criminal offenses (i.e. stealing an apple) were penalized by death. the phrase “Draconian laws” is still used today to describe rigid, severe, harsh, cruel and/or inhumane laws. 594 BCE: Solon elected archon Brought in a number of economic and social reforms Abolished practice of selling debtors to slavery Farmers who had borrowed seed from wealthier landowners when crops were poor were often sold into slavery if they could not repay the debt Solon cancelled the crippling debts and freed the farmers who had been forced into slavery Also changed criteria fro holding political office: all wealthy men, aristocrats or not, were now eligible for public office Birth into aristocratic family was no longer an essential requirement Created new institution called the Council of 400: 100 citizens from each of 4 tradition tribes of Athens elected annually and met to prepare legislation for Citizen Assembly to vote on His reforms did not succeed, aristocracy thought them too radical In resulting turmoil, a tyrant emerged Peisistratus and Cleisthenes 546 to 527 BCE: a tyrant Pissistratus seized power Many political reforms Drove many wealthy landowners out Divided up their lands among landless Established a system of state loans for small farmers Sons Hipparchus (murdered in 514) and Hippias (exiled in 510) ruled Athens with brual force after his death 508 BCE: Cleisthenes Significant changes to organization of assembly Originally, Athenians had been divided into 4 tribes based on clan ties and their location Replaced this system with a new arrangement based on 10 tribes New division ensured a cross section of Athenian society, allowed for a fairer representation of all classes of people within the assembly Replaced the old Council of 400 with a new Council of 500 Ostracism Cleisthenes also introduced practice of ostracism: allowed the city to send any citizen and his family into exile for a period of 10 years Meant to rid Athens of any citizen who might want to become a tyrant or threat to the city-state’s democracy Every year, the Assembly voted on whether an ostracism was needed for that year A minimum of 6000 votes needed to be cast and the person whose name appeared most often on the ostraka (pieces of broken pottery used as bollots) was sent into exile The first ostracism occured in 487 BCE and the last was held 70 years later Athenian Democracy Achieved By golden age of Classical Greece in 5th century BCE, a system of democracy called direct democracy had been established in Athens Assembly: Here, every adult male over 18 could speak and propose resolutions, vote directly on every piece of legislation and stand for public office The assembly was the most important government institution, it elected a number of executive officers and met 3 or 4 times each month to debate and decide matters of domestic and foreign policy Appointed the ten generals (or strategos) responsible for promoting domestic policy and directing military operations Council of 500: had to be over age 30, Citizens could serve on council only once in their lifetime so all citizens had to take part Council organized into 10 governing committees, of 50 members each, that rotated in office This gave all committees an opportunity to govern, since each committee ruled for one-tenth of the year 10 Generals Lesser Magistrates Council of 500 Assembly
