Greek Politics: Oligarchy And Democracy In Ancient Greece

Week 2: Greek Politics Essay The history of Greek civilization is a period that had moments of chaos, of peace, and a bit of both at the same time. Yet as much as the Greek and surrounding cultures wanted to flourish, there was always something to condemn their glory. Based on the readings, Greek political life was complicated. As many attempts were made to settle a form of government such as timocracy, democracy, or oligarchy, in the end, it was the strength of the mob (its people) that decided its fate. Yet even with a history so well preserved in time, and the wars and stories of wars would be written in history, either civic honor or political power would prevail long term. What was evident in the Greek era was the rise of powerful thinkers.

The transition of governments in ancient Greece originated with a monarchy, to an oligarchy, then into a tyrannical government to finally end up in a democracy. But before democracy was somewhat established, the Greek civilization went through a state of turbulence and disorder. The upheaval did not stop its citizens from speaking out and learning from the mistakes of its tyrannical leaders. A city-state movement was emerging, otherwise known as Polis. Depending on the community modality, it had either a monarchy or oligarchy yet there was always a city-state or Polis was a small group of leaders that was considered to be self-governing. The city-state still needs a form of structure to use to rule each region. The Regent article states, “City-States drew from the writings of Homer to create a communal past and establish a communal identity. Certain heroes from the Iliad or Odyssey were often thought of as being the ancestor of the entire city-state” (Regent, par. 7). Despite having some grounds for an order for their communities, the conflict would always divide Greece and its differences would continue to stall in unifying the

The Persian forces failed in concurring with Greece and helped Athenian democracy get momentum in governance. Nevertheless, the city-states had to use their wits and those of their citizens to spark reform and avoid the overreaching powers of a select few. Two such ideal citizens Solon and then after, Cleisthenes reformed law codes to undo slavery practices and set the foundation of democracy and Athenian political rights. Regent article states, “The Athenian Democracy was a direct democracy. This meant that citizens—not representatives—debated and voted on the issues. They declared war, they signed treaties, and they chose how to use public funds. These decisions were made in the Athenian Assembly, the center of Athenian democracy and where all citizens could participate. Majority vote was supreme” (Regent, par. 7). The inception of proper political structure was presented as it gave the citizens the power to decide on their fate and to place the laws regardless of its past misgovernance. The persistence of ideal citizens gradually began to put the scattered regions of Greece on the map as one whole political entity. The Spartans had a different method of ruling. Spartan rule was one of the most dominating forces in ancient Greece. Any captives captured by the Spartans were used as state serfs and used to farm Spartan crops and fieldwork. The Spartan oligarchy ruled as