Government Structures Of Athens And Sparta

Introduction, The government structures of Athens and Sparta in ancient Greece had some dissimilarities. Sparta was known for having an oligarchic form of government, meaning that power was held by a small group of people. In contrast, Athens is often considered the world's first democratic state, where power rested in the hands of the people through participation in the assembly. Despite these differences, there were some similarities in their government structures. Both Athens and Sparta had an assembly, whose members were chosen by the populace. However, the way these assemblies operated was quite different. In Athens, the assembly was a democratic body that was open to all male citizens, who could vote on laws and policies. In Sparta, the assembly was more restricted, with only a small group

For instance, both city-states had similar criteria for political participation in their governments. To participate in political decisions, a person had to be a citizen of the polis (city-state), an adult male, and born of Athenian or Spartan parents. However, the rules that governed the selection of public office holders were different in both city-states. In Athens, a person was eligible for public office if he was a free adult male from Athenian and Spartan parents, which was a very small pool of eligible candidates. Athens had a democratic government where decisions were made by the assembly, which consisted of all male citizens over the age of 18. On the other hand, Sparta had an oligarchic government where decisions were made by an exclusive council of high-ranking citizens and a few elected members. The public office in Sparta consisted of two kings, both from the Aristocratic class. In summary, while Athens and Sparta shared some similarities in their governmental structures, they differed significantly in their rules of public office selection and forms of