Comparison Of Citizen Participation In Sparta And Athens

Introduction

Two notable Greek city-states from antiquity, Sparta and Athens, created different methods for citizen involvement in politics and decision-making. Despite placing a strong focus on citizen participation, both city-states took very different approaches. This paper compares and contrasts the administrative institutions of Sparta and Athens, looking at how citizens in each city attained the right to engage in public life, who held public office, the procedures for choosing candidates for that office, and who held those positions.

Getting the Right to Participate in Public Life: Male citizens who were born to Athens-born parents were given the right to take part in public life in ancient Athens. They were referred to as "demo,"

Citizenship restrictions at Sparta, however, were more stringent. Spartiates were required to complete rigorous military training and adhere to age and health requirements. Only Spartiates could occupy public office and take part in the Assembly, claims Cartledge (2016) (p. 112). The goal of this limited strategy, known as oligarchy, was to establish a society that was orderly and war-oriented.

Candidates for Public Office and the Procedures for Selection:

In Athens, the sortition system was used to choose those in public office. Equal possibilities for participation are ensured by the ability to select any eligible citizen for a post. Courts may investigate magistrates and other public servants, and their terms were finite. By encouraging citizen engagement, this strategy intended to prevent the concentration of power. Sparta, on the other hand, took a different route. The two kings, who held their positions by inheritance, were the highest-ranking authorities in Sparta. A group of elders known as the Gerousia had considerable influence beneath them. Hodkinson (2017) states that "Members of Gerousia were selected based on their age and experience and held their positions for life" (p. 42). The lifetime tenure and hereditary system provided stability, but citizen participation in the decision-making process was

Their strategies and results, nevertheless, were different. Athens adopted direct democracy, allowing more people to participate in decision-making through the Assembly, whereas Sparta operated as an oligarchy, with power concentrated in the hands of a small number of people.

Similarities include the existence of governing bodies in both city-states that were in charge of making decisions. The Council of 500 in Athens was in charge of drafting and enforcing laws, while the Gerousia in Sparta served as an advisory body to the kings. Both Athens and Sparta also had assemblies and courts as institutions for upholding the law and order (Brand,