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Compare And Contrast The Forms Of Ancient Greek Government

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Forms of Government in Ancient Greece
Written Assignment Unit 2 - HIST 1421
University of the People As noted by Brand (2010), since 750 BCE until true Democracy was established in Greece in 1975 the forms of government were numerous. From kings and autocrats, to aristocrats, tyrants and oligarchs in order to finally make way for the democrats and a more people centered way of governing. All the aforementioned forms of government may be different by definition but at the same time there is common ground behind them all.
Comparing the structures and the backgrounds of ancient Greek political structures many common ways were identified. Cartledge (2011) describes about 1,500 poleis during the fourth century in Greece were different forms of government were practiced. Some poleis practiced the democratic structure; others were oligarchies and some monarchies. All though, had common ground and that was that the richest ruled or influenced the poor majority. The wealthy families ruled in the oligarchies and the monarchies and their children inherited the power and so on. As Fleck & Hanssen (2013) explain, “tyrants came from noble families” just as oligarchs and aristocrats, not to mention the early democrats. The tyrants often took power after a hardship and they left only after their death or if they were …show more content…

Monarchy and tyranny forced rules to the majority of the people without any mercy. On the other hand oligarchy, aristocracy and democracy, although few aristocrats had the power as well, led the poleis with more respect to the poorer citizen. According to Halsall (1999) when writing about Sparta and its constitution “…the ephors, chosen by popular election from the whole body of citizer~ represented a democratic element in the constitution without violating those oligarchical methods which seemed necessary for its satisfactory administration; …” (para

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