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The development of democracy in athens
Political life in athens
Government in ancient athens
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The development of democracy in athens
Political life in athens
Government in ancient athens
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Recommended: The development of democracy in athens
Pericles, who was Greek, can be biased in his statement because as a leader, he needs to win the people’s support. Therefore, he can only say the glories of Athens. Document 5 supports Document 4’s statement. Document 5 talks about the details of the Athenian government. It tells the reader “No one remained in power long enough to entrench himself”
They must be non- aristocratic. In Athens, the women, foreigners and, slaves, are not allowed to participate in the political system. The Athenian system of government makes it possible for wealthy but non-aristocratic Athenian men to participate in the political system and aspire for public
This council made sure the laws were upheld and retained guardianship of the laws. Around 564 BC, Peisistratus, a tyrant that ruled over Athens, gave all citizens the chance for equality. He confiscated land from the wealthy to give to the poor, and he subsidized and gave federal taxes to the poorest farmers. Through this redistribution of land and wealth, the lower class benefitted and began to receive the same advantages and opportunities as the wealthy. In this time period, the lower class benefited significantly due to the redistribution of land and wealth and also receiving fair juries that protected them from the
In the year 461 BC, after the ostracism of the politician Cimon, Pericles started his rule in Athens where he developed Athenian culture, starting with the development of the Delian League to the Athenian Empire. Using the money from the League, Pericles was able to lead the project of the new Parthenon, which allowed Athenians to hone their artistic skill through attention to detail. In his reign, Pericles also allowed for any person no matter what their class may be to watch plays for free, so literature could be widely developed on a greater scale throughout Athens. Following the unsuccessful Ionian Revolt, the Delian League was formed in order to protect the Greeks who were still threatened by Persians. Members of the league were required to pay tax to support the cause and so with the big treasury, Pericles was able to get the money to build a new Parthenon.
During this time period, blacks had many different statuses. Some were slaves forever, some were like indentured servants. They were allowed to actually own property, get married and after they served their time they were freed. Slaves were at the bottom of the social order but the individuals above them were not much better. The white people that were poor did not have as many hardships because they always thought at least they were not slaves, even though they were towards the bottom of the social structure.
The Assembly, on the other hand, is open to all citizens except women who are not allowed to Comparison Between Athens and Sparta 4 participate in politics (“Two Faces of Greece”, n.d). The Assembly passed the laws and made decisions (“Two Faces of Greece”, n.d). During the time of Pericles, the Jury was created so that not only the aristocrats can participate (Brand, n.d). The Spartan government, on the other hand, is dubbed as an oligarchy where only few are running the system (“Two Faces of Greece”, n.d).
I believe that Pericles is alluding to the fact that the country’s men, though preoccupied with their personal lives, were still fair judges in public matters (Funeral Oration of Pericles). This is a good representation of the big picture of the judicial system. Seeing as how men from all walks of life took time out of their lives to serve on juries at all trials. However, there was not very much quality control during the trials.
Unlike the Romans, Athenians had a strict but fair schedule that allowed them to enjoy citizenship equally. Equally, hard workers have brought Athens power just as much as hereditary leaders. According to Document B all citizens should be allowed to speak their opinion and have a share in election because of the hard work they do to make the city powerful. Athenians allowed poor and common men to win a position in government which was a transition from the wealthy having power to everyone having power.
Pericles argues that Athens has become a model for others, and articulates what it is to be a good citizen. This can be seen when he says, “although the eyes of an enemy may occasionally profit by our liberality; trusting less in system and policy than to the native spirit of our citizens; while in education, where our rivals from their very cradles by a painful discipline seek after manliness, at Athens we live exactly as we please, and yet are just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger.” (Thucydides, 2.39) It proves that Ancient Athens’ valued greatness and worked in order to achieve the excellence of the state, by focusing on rebuilding themselves back up after the Persian war. Pericles played a big role in this because he showed his ambitions to rebuild Athens, which lead to the thriving of other subjects such as literature, philosophy, science, art, and religion.
This group of people only included white male citizens, meaning that slaves, foreign born residents, women and some men who hadn’t obtained citizenship couldn’t vote (Doc D). This completely contradicts the all-inclusive concept of direct democracy that the Athenian government preached so frequently. To have a powerful and lasting empire with great prosperity you must have a series of strong leaders. The period of prosperity in Athens was so short lived because they only had one strong leader, Pericles. After Pericles died Athens could not defeat Sparta in the Peloponnesian War and also couldn’t hold the truce that was signed in 421 BC which allowed Sparta to gain overall victory in the
I spent over six hours serving a friend of mine fix his house after Hurricane Harvey’s devastation took place. I aided him, and his family by cleaning their carpets using a mop, a scraper tool, and a concrete floor grinder. During my time over there I observed that Hurricane Harvey caused a lot of destruction to their house due to their sheetrock, their cabinets, and several valuable electronics being destroyed. For the first time, I was educated on how to use a scraper tool properly and efficiently against the flooring which caused the residue to come off perfectly. Surprisingly, I did smell a strong aroma coming from the container bottle we used and the flooring itself felt mushy and wet like mud.
The dominant classes of people in the 1800’s were that of the white male protestant, and most whom fit the picture were not wealthy or powerful. However, the great majority who attained independent wealth and status were. Those whom fit the following description were for sure socially disadvantaged; African slave, Native American, a female, or Catholic. And those of rich and power considered themselves Englishmen. As they would push the Native Americans of the land, enslave the Africans, and subordinate the women, these Englishmen would insist of their freedom to define themselves (Gorn, 2007 pp.67).
There is lower, middle, and upper class, but there are also subcategories that fill the gaps in between, like the impoverished and the top one percenters. “Class in America”, written by Gregory Mantsios, addresses the myths and realities about socioeconomic class in America and how they affect American lives. His article highlights the unequal divide that has persisted over the course of history and will continue to manifest in the future. To introduce the existence of this issue, Mantsios states that this country’s citizens “don’t like to talk about class...or class privileges, or class oppression, or the class nature of society” (Mantsios 378). This is the case in America today because people are neglecting to acknowledge the existence of these elusive
He was a loved and a powerful leader. Under his command, Athens won many wars and also came to be the richest and most powerful city-state in all Greece. Unfortunately, in 429 BC, a horrible plague struck Greece which resulted in the death of Pericles. After this, the Greek government and democracy was never the same again. The death of Pericles affected Greece in a negative way because it became weaker and more vulnerable to other richer and more powerful city-states.
While some, like Plato in his The Republic, thought it weak to give government into the hands of the common people, Pericles countered this argument with a compelling argument of greatness. By putting government into the hands of the people, the people are united and more devoted to their country. Democracy bonds the people together in a way that no other government can understand. Pericles confidently states, “Athenians advance unsupported into the territory of a neighbor, and fighting upon a foreign soil usually vanquish with ease men who are defending their homes.”