Download Ancient Greece Part 3

 Although Greece is thought of as being the birthplace of democracy, the
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city-states didn’t start out that way, and not all of them became democratic.
In early Athens, kings ruled the city-state. Later, a group of rich landowners, or
aristocrats, took power. A government in which only a few people have power is
called an oligarchy.
Aristocrats ran the economy, were generals and judges. Common people had little to say
in government.
In the 600s BC, a group of rebels tried to overthrow the aristocrats but failed.
A man named Draco created a new set of extremely harsh laws. Even minor crimes such
as loitering were punishable by death. Today, very harsh laws or rules are called
“draconian” after Draco. While many people thought Draco was too strict, he also had
many supporters.
HH Draco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIri2GMKze0&list=PLY7COcoxh66NdWnF-1YeGz2mt1KCZrPDh&index=16
 In the 590s BC a man named Solon created less harsh laws, gave more rights to
nonaristocrats, and made all free men living in Athens citizens, or people who had
the right to participate in government.
 But the people still weren’t pleased with the aristocrats and wanted a new government.
 In 546 BC a noble named Peisistratus overthrew the
oligarchy and became ruler. He was called a tyrant, which
meant a leader who held power through the use of force.
 Today the word tyrant means a ruler who is harsh, but in ancient Greece it
had a different meaning. Athenian tyrants were usually good leaders and
were able to stay in power because they had strong armies and the people
supported them.
 Peisistratus brought peace, prosperity, and policies that unified the city.
He created new festivals and built temples and monuments.
 After he died, his son took over. The aristocrats convinced a rival city-state
to attack Athens. For a short time, the tyrants lost power and the
aristocrats returned to power.
 Around 500 BC Cleisthenes came to power.
Although he was a member of one of the
most powerful families in Athens, he didn’t
want aristocrats to run the government. By
calling on the support of the people, he was
able to overthrow the aristocracy once and
for all.
 Under Cleisthenes’ leadership, Athens
developed the world’s first democracy, or
government in which people rule
themselves. For this reason, he is sometimes
called the father of democracy.
 All citizens had the right to participate in
the assembly, or gathering of citizens
that created the city’s laws.
 The assembly met outdoors on a hillside
so that everyone could attend the
meetings.
 During meetings, people stood before
the crowd and gave speeches on political
issues. Every citizen had the right and
was encouraged to speak. Men in the
crowd often argued with the speakers.
 After the speeches, the assembly voted,
usually by a show of hands, though
sometimes by ballot with votes being
written on broken pieces of pottery.
 The number of people who voted in the assembly
changed from day to day, but 6,000 people were needed
for major decisions. It wasn’t always easy to gather this
many people in one place.
 According to one Greek writer, the government sent
slaves to the market to round up more citizens if
necessary. In one of the writer’s plays, slaves walked
through the market holding a long rope between them.
The rope was covered in red dye that marked the
clothing of anyone it touched. Any “marked” citizen
had to go to the assembly meeting or pay a large fine.
 The large assembly sometimes made making decisions
difficult.
 The Athenians therefore selected citizens to be city
officials and serve on smaller councils. These officials
decided which laws the assembly should discuss and
helped government run more smoothly.
 The large assembly sometimes made
making decisions difficult.
 The Athenians therefore selected citizens to
be city officials and serve on smaller
councils. These officials decided which laws
the assembly should discuss and helped
government run more smoothly.
 Over time citizens gained more power.
 For example, they create the first jury,
group of citizens who decide whether a
person is innocent or guilty of a crime.
Juries had anywhere from 200-6,000
people, though about 500 were more
common. Most juries had an odd number
of members to prevent ties.
 Athens remained a democracy for about
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170 years.
It reached its height under a brilliant
elected leader name Pericles, who led
from 460 BC until his death in 429 BC.
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.
To encourage government participation,
Pericles began to pay people who served
in public offices or on juries.
He encouraged the people of Athens to
introduce democracy into other parts of
Greece.
 In 430 BC Pericles addressed the people of
Athens at a funeral for soldiers who had died
in Battle. In this famous speech, he comforted
the Athenians by reminding them of the
greatness of their government.
“Our form of government does not
enter into rivalry with the
institutions of others. We do not
copy our neighbors, but are an
example to them. It is true that we
are called a democracy, for the
administration is in the hands of
the many and not of the few . . .
There is no exclusiveness
[snobbery] in our public life, and . . .
We are not suspicious of one
another . . . .”
 In the mid 330s BC, Athens was
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conquered by the Macedonians from the
north.
Even though it was allowed to keep its
democratic government, its powers were
very limited.
The Macedonian kind ruled as a dictator
who held all the power. No one could
make decisions without his approval.
In Athens, the assembly was still allowed
to meet and make laws, but they had to
be careful not to make any drastic
changes or upset the king.
Eventually a new king took over Greece
and completely ended its democracy.
 Although Greece’s democracy certainly
influenced modern democracies such as
the US, it was still very different.
 The primary difference was that in
Athens they had a direct democracy
where each person directly cast their
own vote and had a direct affect on the
outcome.
 In the US, we have a representative
democracy where we elect others to
debate and vote on laws.
 Which do you think is better? More fair?
More practical?