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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