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Explain How Did Democracy Develop In Athens

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How did democracy develop in Athens? Athens is the birthplace of democracy. At first, Athens was a polis which was under a monarchy. Then a king made himself one of the archons which is an elected leader to rule the city which was an aristocracy because only the wealthy and special families could become archons. Athenians appointed Draco to create laws which established equity and stability. But his laws were harsh and started an economic crisis. Therfore, the Athenians appointed Solon who made reforms. Then Peisistratos seized Athens and it became ruled under tyranny and then he gave his sons his position after he died. Then the Athenians drove the tyrants out with the leadership of Cleisthenes and Isidoros. Cliesthenes brought democracy to Athens. They had a direct democracy where all citizens vote on laws. They also had public debates along with voting. Cliesthenes created a law that prevented anyone from having too much power. …show more content…

Unlike Athens, Sparta was an Oligarchy where a small group of people ruled all of Sparta instead of the people ruling. They had a rigid social structure where people are strictly separated by classes and it was difficult to move between social classes. The Spartans had a military society where everyone knew how to fight and all the men wanted to be a Spartan soldier. Sparta was not a peaceful society they created some of the first martial arts and their military was unbeatable because of their strategies, dedication, and fitness. The women knew how to fight and many participated in Olympic sports. Unhealthy babies were sacrificed on a hillside. At 7 years old boys were sent to the barracks where they started their military training. They devoted their lives on being a Spartan soldier. They could marry once they reached 30 years old so they wouldn’t be distracted from fighting. This was a very harsh

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