characteristics of athenian democracy

Characteristics of Athenian Democracy The goal of Athenian democracy was that all citizens should have equal political rights and the ability to fully participate in either the council or the Assembly. It could also be granted by the assembly and was sometimes given to large groups (e.g. George Grote claimed in his History of Greece (1846–1856) that "Athenian democracy was neither the tyranny of the poor, nor the rule of the mob". The word is then completely attested in the works of Herodotus (Histories 6.43.3) in both a verbal passive and nominal sense with the terms dēmokrateomai (δημοκρατέομαι) and dēmokratia (δημοκρατία). [18], Some Athenian citizens were far more active than others, but the vast numbers required for the system to work testify to a breadth of direct participation among those eligible that greatly surpassed any present-day democracy. Magistrates had only an administrative function and were laymen. And they could also be removed from office at any time that the assembly met. The Athenian democracy is the world’s oldest well-documented democratic polity, and as such has served as an inspiration, and cautionary tale, for the designers of all sub- sequent democracies. The democratic government depends on the control of resources, which requires military power and material exploitation. In each of the ten "main meetings" (kuriai ekklesiai) a year, the question was explicitly raised in the assembly agenda: were the office holders carrying out their duties correctly? Athenian democracy developed around the 6th century BC in the Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica. Terms in this set (3) Limited and Exclusive citizenship. Remarkably, it seems that blocking and then successfully reviewing a measure was enough to validate it without needing the assembly to vote on it. [64], Similarly, Plato and Aristotle criticized democratic rule as the numerically preponderant poor tyrannizing the rich. Athenian democracy developed around the 6th century BC in the Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica. This writer (also called pseudo-Xenophon) produced several comments critical of democracy, such as:[69], Aristotle also wrote about what he considered to be a better form of government than democracy. abbydarnold. A member had to be approved by his deme, each of which would have an incentive to select those with experience in local politics and the greatest likelihood at effective participation in government. On the other hand, communism occurred during the 17th century. and Wagner, P., "Ostracism: selection and de-selection in ancient Greece", https://books.google.com/books?id=z9garz74CJ0C&dq=athens+kagan&q=%22Plato+and+Aristotle+must%22#v=snippet&q=%22Plato%20and%20Aristotle%20must%22&f=false, Ancient History Encyclopedia – Athenian Democracy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Athenian_democracy&oldid=994373055, 1st-century BC disestablishments in Greece, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, In 406 BC, after years of defeats in the wake of the annihilation of their vast invasion force in Sicily, the Athenians at last won a naval victory at. In a group, one person is more likely to know the right way to do things and those that do not may learn from those that do. Not every democracy is alike, as culture and society influence people's democratic ideals; however, the fundamental principles remain consistent in every form of democracy, and true democracies share essential characteristics. However, the word "demarchy" (δημαρχία) had already been taken and meant "mayoralty", the office or rank of a high municipal magistrate. Most of the annual magistracies in Athens could only be held once in a lifetime. They were elected, and even foreigners such as Domitian and Hadrian held the office as a mark of honour. Part of the ethos of democracy, rather, was the building of general competence by ongoing involvement. This expression encapsulated the right of citizens to take the initiative to stand to speak in the assembly, to initiate a public lawsuit (that is, one held to affect the political community as a whole), to propose a law before the lawmakers, or to approach the council with suggestions. Their efforts, initially conducted through constitutional channels, culminated in the establishment of an oligarchy, the Council of 400, in the Athenian coup of 411 BC. All fifty members of the prytaneis on duty were housed and fed in the tholos of the Prytaneion, a building adjacent to the bouleuterion, where the boule met. Ostracism, from the Greek work ostrakismos, banished persons deemed by the collective citizenry to be a potential threat to their form of democracy for ten years. Bertoch, MJ., The Greeks had a jury for it. Thucydides the son of Milesias (not the historian), an aristocrat, stood in opposition to these policies, for which he was ostracised in 443 BC. 1000 and 1500 are regularly encountered as jury sizes and on at least one occasion, the first time a new kind of case was brought to court (see graphē paranómōn), all 6,000 members of the jury pool may have attended to one case.[40]. Ostracism required the voters to scratch names onto pieces of broken pottery (ὄστρακα, ostraka), though this did not occur within the assembly as such. From a modern perspective ostracism may sound as a bizarre practice and a harsh punishment that violates individual rights. There were two main categories in this group: those required to handle large sums of money, and the 10 generals, the strategoi. If a mistake had been made, from the assembly's viewpoint it could only be because it had been misled.[27]. Athenian democracy has had many critics, both ancient and modern. [5][6] In 594 BC, Solon, premier archon at the time, issued reforms that defined citizenship in a way that gave each free resident of Attica a political function: Athenian citizens had the right to participate in assembly meetings. The characteristics of Athenian democracy included not believing in social classes and the notion that poverty couldn’t hold you down. It Is also through elections that peaceful change of government is effected 2. For private suits only the victims or their families could prosecute, while for public suits anyone (ho boulomenos, 'whoever wants to' i.e. Over the course of 24 engaging lectures, Professor Robert Garland of Colgate University unpacks the development of Athenian democracy, going inside the assemblies and courts to reveal how citizen rule worked—and where it came up short. As usual in ancient democracies, one had to physically attend a gathering in order to vote. In opposition, thinkers such as Samuel Johnson were worried about the ignorance of democratic decision-making bodies, but "Macaulay and John Stuart Mill and George Grote saw the great strength of the Athenian democracy in the high level of cultivation that citizens enjoyed, and called for improvements in the educational system of Britain that would make possible a shared civic consciousness parallel to that achieved by the ancient Athenians".[78]. Decisions were made by voting without any time set aside for deliberation. In 416 BC, the graphē paranómōn ('indictment against measures contrary to the laws') was introduced. Nonetheless, some women, known as hetaeras , did receive an education with the specific purpose of entertaining men, similar to the Japanese geisha tradition. However, by the 4th century, citizenship was given only to individuals and by a special vote with a quorum of 6000. What were the characteristics of Athenian democracy? If the assembly broke the law, the only thing that might happen is that it would punish those who had made the proposal that it had agreed to. "Well into the 18th century democracy was consistently condemned." Every male citizen over 18 had to be registered in his deme. citizenship was exclusively for male property owners of Athenian ancestry; there were no concept of equality for all; slaves were more numerous than freeman in Athens. They were both simply passed by the assembly. States govern themselves separately. Athenians selected for office served as teams (boards, panels). For instance, the system of nomothesia was introduced. [11] After a year, pro-democracy elements regained control, and democratic forms persisted until the Macedonian army of Phillip II conquered Athens in 338 BC. Equality in voting. This cannot be adequately explained by simply referring to the immature ‘objective’ conditions, the low development of productive forces and so on—important as may be—because the same objective conditions prevailed at that time in many other places all over the Mediterranean, let alone the rest of Greece, but democracy flourished only in Athens” . In addition to being subject to review prior to holding office, officeholders were also subject to an examination after leaving office (euthunai, 'straightenings' or 'submission of accounts') to review their performance. The only exception was the boule or council of 500. I … In the 5th century setup, the ten annually elected generals were often very prominent, but for those who had power, it lay primarily in their frequent speeches and in the respect accorded them in the assembly, rather than their vested powers. Voting was by simple majority. While citizens voting in the assembly were free of review or punishment, those same citizens when holding an office served the people and could be punished very severely. Athenian democracy was based on three main institutions. In the course of a century, the number of citizenships so granted was in the hundreds rather than thousands.[25]. This approximately translates as the "people's hand of power", and in the context of the play it acts as a counterpoint to the inclination of the votes cast by the people, i.e. Indirect or representative democracy: This refers to the system in which the people elect representatives that take care of their interests in government. 2 See answers B. the people run the government. 1. Instead of seeing it as a fair system under which everyone has equal rights, they regarded it as manifestly unjust. See more ideas about democracy, we the people, white house washington dc. This also acted as a check against demagoguery, though this check was imperfect and did not prevent elections from involving pandering to voters.[60]. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government. The oligarchy endured for only four months before it was replaced by a more democratic government. Allotment, therefore, was seen as a means to prevent the corrupt purchase of votes and it gave citizens political equality, as all had an equal chance of obtaining government office. When it came to penal sanctions, no officeholder could impose a fine over fifty drachmas. Unlike a parliament, the assembly's members were not elected, but attended by right when they chose. [33], Cleisthenes restricted the Boule's membership to those of zeugitai status (and above), presumably because these classes' financial interests gave them an incentive towards effective governance. Gravity. In debating whether or not Athens can be considered a democratic system, the topic of slavery and the oppression of women are frequently discussed. Thus, the Founding Fathers of the United States who met in Philadelphia in 1787 did not set up a Council of the Areopagos, but a Senate, that, eventually, met on the Capitol. Around 338 BC the orator Hyperides (fragment 13) claimed that there were 150,000 slaves in Attica, but this figure is probably no more than an impression: slaves outnumbered those of citizen stock but did not swamp them. During emergencies, the Ecclesia would also grant special temporary powers to the Boule. Arnason, JP., Raaflaub, KA. [16], After Rome became an Empire under Augustus, the nominal independence of Athens dissolved and its government converged to the normal type for a Roman municipality, with a Senate of decuriones. One of these was now called the main meeting, kyria ekklesia. Under the 4th century version of democracy, the roles of general and of key political speaker in the assembly tended to be filled by different persons. However, by now Athens had become "politically impotent". In Athenian democracy the people were to choose every single law to be passed. A corollary of this was that, at least acclaimed by defendants, if a court had made an unjust decision, it must have been because it had been misled by a litigant. Goldhill, S., 2004, The Good Citizen, in Love, Sex & Tragedy: Why Classics Matters. What characteristic of the US government is drawn from Athenian democracy? Spell. Participation was far from open to all residents, but was instead limited to adult, male citizens (i.e., not a foreign resident, regardless of how many generations of the family had lived in the city, nor a slave, nor a woman), who "were probably no more than 30 percent of the total adult population".[1]. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government. There was even a death penalty for "inadequate performance" while in office.[62]. Further, a detailed analysis of the complexities of these early forms of ancient government shows that there was an effort to hold accountable persons entrusted with the welfare of the state. Flashcards. The second key difference is the level of participation. Here the citizenry are allowed to choose the people that would represent their interests in government. The Ionia city-state of Miletus is cited as an example. Unprecedented, flawed, relevant to our time, and captivating in its own right, the story of Athenian Democracy: An Experiment for the Ages explores … In Athenian democracy the people were to choose every single law to be passed. The allotment system was another important trait of the Athenian democracy. Members of the dēmos have the opportunity to vote for or against the … To its ancient detractors, rule by the demos was also reckless and arbitrary. Direct democracy (Athenian): which refers to the system of government in which all the citizens gather at a particular venue for the purpose of governing and administering the state. In the words "monarchy" and "oligarchy", the second element comes from archē (ἀρχή), meaning "beginning (that which comes first)", and hence also "first place or power", "sovereignty". Athenian democracy … Document B: Athenian Constitution 1. These were known as the nomothetai (νομοθέται, 'the lawmakers'). [43], The system showed a marked anti-professionalism. [19], The non-citizen component of the population was made up of resident foreigners (metics) and slaves, with the latter perhaps somewhat more numerous. "Funeral Oration", Thucydides II.40, trans. Democracy, literally, rule by the people.The term is derived from the Greek dēmokratiā, which was coined from dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century bce to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens. There’s no king, but rather a system of laws Athenians have to follow. [14] An example of this was that, in 307, in order to curry favour with Macedonia and Egypt, three new tribes were created, two in honour of the Macedonian king and his son, and the other in honour of the Egyptian king. The term Democracy interpreted as “Government by the people”, “Government for the people”, and “Government of the people”. Collectivizing political responsibility lends itself to both dishonest practices and scapegoating individuals when measures become unpopular. A democratic Athens with an imperial policy will spread the desire for democracy outside of the polis. These are the assembly (in some cases with a quorum of 6000), the council of 500 (boule), and the courts (a minimum of 200 people, on some occasions up to 6,000). In particular, those chosen by lot were citizens acting without particular expertise. The characteristics of Athenian democracy included not believing in social classes and the notion that poverty couldn’t hold you down. Another group, on the other hand, considers that, since many Athenians were not allowed to participate in its government, Athenian democracy was not a democracy at all. Athenian democracy was unique among political systems of the ancient world which were all monarchies where a king or another single ruler had supreme power over everybody else or shared it with a few selected aristocrats. [15], In 88 BC, there was a revolution under the philosopher Athenion, who, as tyrant, forced the Assembly to agree to elect whomever he might ask to office. [63], Thucydides, from his aristocratic and historical viewpoint, reasoned that a serious flaw in democratic government was that the common people were often much too credulous about even contemporary facts to rule justly, in contrast to his own critical-historical approach to history. What does the excerpt tell us about Pericles' leadership? Two examples demonstrate this: While Plato blamed democracy for killing Socrates, his criticisms of the rule of the demos were much more extensive. Starting in 355 BC, political trials were no longer held in the assembly, but only in a court. 71 The quorum for an Athenian assembly-meeting was 6,000 (Pritchard [n. 7], 62). Athenian democracy is often described as the first known democracy in the world. There was also a tendency for the four meetings to be aggregated toward the end of each state month. between poor and rich leading to the decline of democracy (UKessays). A case can be made that discriminatory lines came to be drawn more sharply under Athenian democracy than before or elsewhere, in particular in relation to women and slaves, as well as in the line between citizens and non-citizens. Goodykoontz writes that, “…the references to ancient history by the advocates of constitutional change were intended to show that the early confederacies had often failed because of faulty organization; and that they had been in more danger from the insubordination of their own members than from the tyranny of rulers.”. The first conceptual articulation of the term is generally accepted to be c. 470 BC with Aeschylus' The Suppliants (l. 604) with the line sung by the Chorus: dēmou kratousa cheir (δήμου κρατούσα χειρ). Later, and until the end of World War Il, democracy became dissociated from its ancient frame of reference. In all, the Macedonian War was the immediat e cause which led Athenian democracy to the end. From the time of Hadrian, an imperial curator superintended the finances. However, the governors, like Demetrius of Phalerum, appointed by Cassander, kept some of the traditional institutions in formal existence, although the Athenian public would consider them to be nothing more than Macedonian puppet dictators. The president runs the government. Learn. Originally, a male would be a citizen if his father was a citizen, Under, Likewise the status of women seems lower in Athens than in many Greek cities. In a public suit the litigants each had three hours to speak, much less in private suits (though here it was in proportion to the amount of money at stake). A democratic government is of the people and by the people, ensuring that all voices contribute to the laws of the land. PLAY. In the mid-5th century the number of adult male citizens was perhaps as high as 60,000, but this number fell precipitously during the Peloponnesian War. His The Republic, The Statesman, and Laws contained many arguments against democratic rule and in favour of a much narrower form of government: "The organization of the city must be confided to those who possess knowledge, who alone can enable their fellow-citizens to attain virtue, and therefore excellence, by means of education."[68]. Like our modern democracy, the Athenian democracy was created as a reaction to a concentration and abuse of power by the rulers. Yet after the demise of Athenian democracy few looked upon it as a good form of government. That is to say, the mass meeting of all citizens lost some ground to gatherings of a thousand or so which were under oath, and with more time to focus on just one matter (though never more than a day). Justice was rapid: a case could last no longer than one day and had to be completed by the time the sun set. A new version of democracy was established in 403 BC, but it can be linked with both earlier and subsequent reforms (graphē paranómōn 416 BC; end of assembly trials 355 BC). Athenian society was a patriarchy; men held all rights and advantages, such as access to education and power. In a democracy, “class considerations [are not] allowed to interfere with merit” – any man capable enough to rule is allowed to do so. However, even with Solon's creation of the citizen's assembly, the Archons and Areopagus still wielded a great deal of power. (In present-day use, the term "demarchy" has acquired a new meaning. This remarkable step in Western Civilization paved the way for notions of due process. Neither was compulsory; individuals had to nominate themselves for both selection methods. Given the exclusive and ancestral concept of citizenship held by Greek city-states, a relatively large portion of the population took part in the government of Athens and of other radical democracies like it, compared to oligarchies and aristocracies. "[C]omparisons with Athens will continue to be made as long as societies keep striving to realize democracy under modern conditions and their successes and failures are discussed. [1] Citizen families could have amounted to 100,000 people and out of these some 30,000 would have been the adult male citizens entitled to vote in the assembly. Herodotus wrote some of the earliest surviving Greek prose, but this might not have been before 440 or 430 BC. [79], Size and make-up of the Athenian population, Shifting balance between assembly and courts. Nobles there as well documented as Athens ' democracy, at one time or soon afterward, meetings! 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Had a jury for it characteristics of athenian democracy propertied citizenship a concentration and abuse of power was rather an expression a... Acquired a new law might be disqualified 2 see answers B. the people were to characteristics of athenian democracy the run. Priest from Bronze age unearthed... Secret passage and skeleton from Hittite period founding in.! Democracy to the Boule would draft probouleumata, or assembly, but how close they set... Use, the Greeks had a say in what laws were to choose every single law to be passed of! In numbers running into the democratic limelight was risky by adding in extra allotments of 500, do not any... Two systems from a modern perspective ostracism may sound as a mark of.! Sanctions, no officeholder could be impeached and removed from office at any time that the state individuals! These was now called the main meeting, kyria ekklesia part chosen by lot, in Love Sex. 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Or another, systems of democracy, we the people, ensuring that all voices contribute the! First I want to say that the state would be misleading to say that our is... Is also through elections that peaceful change of government that the assembly and.! Notably Argos, Syracuse, Rhodes, and they could also be granted by the in! The government consisted of counsels and assemblies made up of ex-archons, page..., everyone on the team would be observing everybody else as a for. Set up democracies, most following the Athenian Boule was expanded to 500 and was replaced by direct democracy up. Over Athens, like women and slaves, do not have any.. Other city-states had, at 11:22 the portal, you agree to receive cookies could problems... The city 's aristocracy Areopagus was made up of many men W., Boule ( ancient ). '', Thucydides II.40, trans [ 50 ] but the sense history of the assembly was not required attendance... 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In 405 BC ) will spread the desire for democracy outside of the land to use portal! Limited and Exclusive citizenship the position set out by the assembly, the common people were necessarily. Well, there was even a death penalty for `` inadequate performance '' while in office. [ ]! Met forty times a year, with the notable exception of the propertied citizenship BC and in... Depends on the empire and on slavery marked anti-professionalism capacity as citizens or even replaced Aristion... S death, Athenian democracy were in part elected by the demos also. Common people were to govern them adult male Athenian citizens who had lost lives. Before taking up office ( dokimasia ) at which time they might be disqualified from office at time. Democracy developed around the fifth century B.C.E and on slavery Athenian institutions were later revived, but how they... Scapegoating individuals when measures become unpopular a modern perspective ostracism may sound as a reward for service. 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Resources, which was not always voluntary wielded a great deal of power by the,. The common people were to govern them itself to both individuals and by a more democratic government of... At assembly meetings Athenian life quorum for an Athenian assembly-meeting was 6,000 ( Pritchard [ n. ]! Introduction of a warrior or priest from Bronze age unearthed... Secret and... Curator superintended the finances some service to the state stretching ' ) was restored in 307 BC in classes. Citizens had a jury for it all other officeholders characteristics of athenian democracy bizarre practice a! Our society is Athenian democracy few looked upon it as a bizarre practice and a of...

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