Aristocracies And Oligarchies In Ancient Greece

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In ancient Greece, there was a definite line between rich and poor. With that, finding government that would work with everyone was hard. Aristocracies and oligarchies only helped one side, looked down on the poor, and since there was generally no middle class to mediate, the two sides were constantly fighting. Aristotle noticed this, and wrote about how there needs to be a middle class in his work Politics. The point Aristotle stressed the most is the fact that extremes cause problems. Rich are controlling and poor are demanding. The middle classes are neither, since they are the median. When all men are free, it creates a greater willingness to work together and to spark fellowship. If the majority of the people are in the middle class, it cancels out the extremes. The rich and poor fall into “factions and dissensions” as Aristotle put it, whereas the middle class will not. …show more content…

They promoted the middle class, and did not favor anyone. Oligarchies only favored the rich and other upper class families, but democracies, when used correctly, would make everyone equal. They are safer and more permanent in Aristotle’s opinion, because the large middle class has a greater share in the government. He believes the middle class actually had the most power, and he gives clear examples of people who showed this: Solon, Lycurgus, and Charondas, all powerful middle-class