Download Chapter 8, Section 2 Government in Athens

Chapter 8, Section 2
Government
in
Athens
Aristocrats & Tyrants Rule
• Greece is the
birthplace of
democracy.
• Greek city-states did
not start out as
democracies, and not
all became
democratic.
Rule by a Few People
• Athens is where democracy
began.
• It did not start out that way.
• In early Athens, kings ruled the
city-state.
Rule by a Few People
• Later, a group of aristocrats
took power.
• They established an
oligarchy.
• The aristocrats dominated
Athenian society.
• Common people had little
say in government.
Rule by A Few People
• In the 590s BC, a man
named Solon created a
set of laws that were
much less harsh & gave
more rights to nonaristocrats.
• Under Solon’s laws, all
free men living in
Athens became citizens.
The Rise of the Tyrants
• In 546 BC, a noble by the
name of Peisistratus over
threw the oligarchy.
• He became the tyrant ruler
of Athens.
• Tyrants of ancient Greece
were good leaders,
supported, & had strong
armies.
The Rise of the Tyrants
• Peisistratus brought peace &
prosperity to the city of
Athens.
• After his death, his son took
over as tyrant.
• Many aristocrats were
unhappy because their power
was gone.
The Rise of the Tyrants
• The aristocrats
convinced a rival citystate to attack Athens.
• As a result, the tyrants
lost power & for a short
period of time, the
aristocrats returned to
power.
Athens Creates Democracy
• 500 BC – Cleisthenes came
to power.
• He was an aristocrat but
thought they had too much
power.
• He overthrew the
aristocracy once and for all.
Athens Creates a Democracy
• Under Cleisthenes’ leadership, Athens developed the
world’s first democracy.
• He is sometimes called the father of democracy.
Democracy Under Cleisthenes
• All citizens in Athens had the right to participate in the
assembly.
• During meetings, people stood before the crowd & gave
speeches on political issues.
• Every citizen had the right to speak his opinion.
• After the speeches, the assembly voted (hand or secret
vote).
Democracy Under Cleisthenes
• Because the assembly was
so large, the Athenians
therefore selected citizens
to be city officials & to
serve on a smaller council.
• These officials decided
which laws the assembly
should discuss.
Changes in Athenian Democracy
• As time passed, citizens
gained more power.
• Athens remained a
democracy for 170 years.
• It reached its height under
the rule of Pericles.
Changes in Athenian Democracy
• Pericles encouraged the Athenians to take pride in their
city.
• He believed that participating in government was just
as important as defending Athens in war.
Changes in Athenian Democracy
• To encourage people,
Pericles began to pay
people who served in
public offices or on
juries.
• He also wanted Athens
to introduce democracy
into other parts of
Greece.
End of Democracy in Athens
• In the 330s BC, Athens was taken over by the
Macedonians from north of Greece.
• Athens kept its democratic government, but with
limited powers.
• The Macedonian king ruled like a dictator.
• No one could make any decisions without his approval.
End of Democracy in Athens
• The assembly still met to
make laws, but it had to
be careful not to upset
the king.
• They did not make any
drastic changes that
might upset the king.
End of Democracy in Athens
• They weren’t happy with
this, but feared the
king’s strong army.
• A new king eventually
took over & ended
Athenian democracy
forever.
Ancient Democracy differs from Modern
Democracy
• Like ancient Athens, the United States has a democratic
government in which the people hold power.
• But our modern democracy is very different from the
ancient Athenians’ democracy.
Ancient Democracy differs from Modern
Democracy
• Direct Democracy
– This is the type of democracy that Athens had
– Each person’s decision directly affects the outcome of a vote
– The U.S. is too large for direct democracy
Ancient Democracy differs from Modern
Democracy
• Representative Democracy (Republic)
–
–
–
–
This is the type of democracy the U.S. has
The citizens elect officials to represent them
Americans elect representatives & Senators to Congress
Americans do not vote on each law that Congress passes but
trust their chosen representatives to vote for them