Ancient Greece is a land of many city-states, called poleis. Each city-state had its own government, laws, rules, and customs, although they did have certain things in common such as language and religion they were fiercely independent. Two of the most famous and influential city-states were Sparta and Athens. Historically Sparta and Athens did not get along, especially after the second Persian war when the two states were fighting to be the most dominant city in the area. Athens believed in democracy and the republic, it was located a region called Attica. Between the many mountains were fertile valleys, with many farms. Athens also had the biggest navy in Greece. The powerful navy expanded their sphere of influence and promoted trade through the Mediterranean. While Athens was trying democracy as a form of government, its rival Sparta had two kings that ruled the city as a monarch. Sparta's …show more content…
They gave every citizen a vote and every citizen could serve on the council of 500 and The Assembly was made of all citizens who voted. This style of government would inspire the Romans and go on to inspire the founding fathers of the United States. "Athens went through power struggles between rich and poor. However, Athenians avoided civil war by making timely reforms."(Textbook). That shows that the system was effective because it gave everyone a say to create these reforms and prevent civil war. The Spartan government was primarily a monarch with two kings serving as the rulers. This might seem more stable however, they have complete control of the government and the people have little to no say in how things are done. Therefore, the Athenian government is advantages to the average citizen to ensure the government does not take advantage of them. This is similar to modern democracies and they have worked well so far, by no means are they perfect but it’s the best