Athens was full of life and the people living there appreciated all of what others had to offer: arts, music, life, and new cultures. Two of the biggest city-states were Athens and Sparta. Democracy (disadvantage) Few people were considered citizens and had a voice in government. As I will come to. Elements of more than one of these forms also co-existed, however, and the modern connotations of labels such as these are not necessarily the same as those that prevailed in Ancient Greece. Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. They became skilled sailors. Democracy is the rule of the whole of the people,excluding minors and maniacs only. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Overall, ancient Athens was indeed not truly democratic as a result of the government having male citizens have authority, being an oligarchy government instead of a democratic government, and voting not accessible to women, free foreigners(Metics), and slaves except for male citizens. Both Athens and Sparta had a similar government system. Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society. These ideas are infused in various pieces of literature where the idea of democracy leaves a visible mark on society, dividing it into two scales, one being unable to, Never before have there been so many democracies in the world or so many competitive elections conducted at national, subnational and region levels. Not everyone gets to participate. Mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. Enter a Melbet promo code and get a generous bonus, An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. While Athens seems to only have a democracy. When looking at this definition and trying to decide whether the Athenian democratic system was truly democratic, one would have to go with the answer no. The ancient civilization of Greece contained many different city-states; two of these city-states were Sparta and Athens. The purpose of this essay is to prove that ancient Greece wasnt truly democratic. Ancient Greece was dominated by small city-states and independent towns, rather than by one all-powerful king, because of its geography. During 750-500 B.C.E, Ancient Greece is a place that is known for some city-states, called poleis. Also, the so called Ostrakismos made it possible to ban corrupt politicians from athens. It is a powerful word. Use this knowledge to correct the spelling errors below. Give me balance, give me equality. The community showed little cohesion as a group. While Athens is widely regarded as the first historical example of a democratic system, some scholars believe that the Roman Empires republic system was more democratic than that of the Greek. Slavery. Other contrasting issues included womens rights, social classes, and value of human life. WebThus, the tyrants of the Archaic age of ancient Greece ( c. 900500 bce )Cypselus, Cleisthenes, Peisistratus, and Polycrates were popular, presiding as they did over an era of prosperity and expansion. What are the advantages of the ancient Greek system? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Athenian Values. Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. Advantage: They had access to trade, transportation, fish, and water. To have a powerful and lasting empire with great prosperity you must have a series of strong leaders. Athens was a superior city state over Sparta. Athens was a small city compared to Rome that honored and protected citizenship. The term, Democracy, stems from the Greek word demokratia which means rule by the people and it wasnt until around 500 BCE in Athens where the first examples of democracy originated. On the other hand, direct democracy is not a good chose for America. The similarities show that the founders of America based the new democratic government on the Ancient Greek democracy that came two millennia earlier. Athens organized a group of Greek city states into the Delian League and eventually lead and dominated all of the city states in the League. Sparta is far better than Athens on the grounds that their armed force was strong and defensive. They are just more carful. By 508 BCE, Cleisthenes came to power in Athens and creates a democratic constitution of all people. Democracy Cons: Cons: Only citizens got to vote. In Ancient Athens, a new system arose that would greatly impact the course of history. But they were loyal to their city-state. One of the earliest known democracies was in Athens, a city-state in southern, ancient Greece. Athens direct democracy had elected officials including ten generals, magistrates, and others (PBS 1). The most important city-states of Ancient Greece was Sparta and Athens. Every city-state had their own coins, government, and laws. Some of the strengths of Athenian democracy include making decisions based on the opinions of many rather than a few, giving responsibility to more citizens and making records available for public examination. The current American democracy may have steamed from Athens, but they do not really have that much in common. It also means its citizens come first in order of importance. Disadvantages: controlled little territory, many rivals/more conflict. A a majority of one race or religion or political opinion is not allowed to suppress the rights of other groups. Also, everyone is allowed to practice a religion of their choice. The constitution favor many people instead of few people. The word democracy is greek, the word demos means people and kratos means power. Women were forced to go through training to become strong, to male healthy babies, it was tough. The biggest advantage of democracy in polis was the general possibility of taking part in public life for all free citizens. It was easy for the Athenians to see who the people are due to the population number at the time. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. I have come to this conclusion that Athens had a better system because anyone could office and they had more equal rights as a citizen in the government. The rigidity of the Constitution makes it difficult to amend easily. A body of land that has water on three sides, A narrow strip of land that connects two bodies of land, A peninsula; the southern portion of Greece, The Balkan peninsula, connected to other parts of Europe to the north, Elements of a Story and Plot : Base Literary, advantages and disadvantages of government in, Unit 2: Renaissance and Reformation Vocabulary, Of Mice and Men: Chapter 5 & 6 Review Project, Disadvantages and Advantages of Japan's Locat, Dahia Ibo Shabaka, Larry S. Krieger, Linda Black, Phillip C. Naylor, Roger B. Beck, PT600 - SysPath - Pathologies of Endocrine Sy. The Athens lived by the Sea which was an advantage because they had an excellent trading system. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The city-states of Athens and Sparta are the best representatives of democracy and oligarchy, respectively. Advantages: meet outside often, healthy outdoor lifestyle, they had good temperature for farming and prospering, very moderate climate. The Greeks never unified, Sparta is a better place to have an exciting or joyful life because you would be isolated by mountains and oceans. Oligarchy (disadvantage) Over time, middle/lower classes realized they still had little to no say in government Tyranny (disadvantage), Start studying advantages and disadvantages of government in ancient greece. 1 What were the advantages and disadvantages of Greece? together can be a bad action taken by the government. Spartan. Although the competing city-states of Sparta and Athens were individually different as well as governmentally diverse, they both managed to become dominating powers in Ancient Greece. Metic. In Document 2, an excerpt from The Spartan Constitution by Aristotle theres a quote that states they praise Lacedaemon because it is made up of oligarchy, monarchy, and democracy.. This quote tells exactly what type of government Sparta had. Ancient Greece was comprised of small city-states, of which Sparta and Athens were two. The term, Democracy, stems from the Greek word demokratia which means rule by the people and it wasnt until around 500 BCE in Athens where the first examples of democracy originated. WebHowever, Athens under the rule of Pericles should be considered a democracy for several reasons. By our understanding it was an oligarchy, not democracy. Pre-Classical Greece saw a Dorian movement take place after the Trojan war. It may not be able to serve the needs of an emergency situation. This form of government had to start somewhere, however, and ideas of democracy can be shown in many early documents written by some of the first peoples to colonize the Americas. While Athens is widely regarded as the first historical example of a democratic system, some scholars believe that the Roman Empires republic system was more democratic than that of the Greek. This means that the Constitution regards to the American citizen as something that is held to deserve meaning the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. Rather than vote for representatives, like we do, each citizen was expected to vote for every law. Democracy is the idea that the citizens of a country should take an active role in the government of their country and manage it directly or through elected representatives. In addition to simply being a peninsula, Greeces coastline has many accessible harbor locations. Spartas only ace was its military way of life and war tactics. What was the disadvantage of democracy in ancient Greece? Democracy, a noun that means the society is governed by the people, a system of voting, and majority rules. The biggest difference between Athenian democracy and almost all other democracies is that the Athenians had a direct democracy rather than being representative. CON: Much of the citys accommodation is pricey. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Athens was a democratic state that was peaceful and where women were open to culture and democracy. In Athens all men are on an equality which means Not of the few but of the many (doc 3 pericles). Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 8 What are the advantages and disadvantages of ancient Greece? 6 What are the pros and cons of democracy in ancient Greece? 9 What was the disadvantage of tyranny in ancient Greece? However up until 500 BCE, the concept of Democracy was a foreign concept, and the great civilizations of that era were run by monarchs, aristocrats, and religious leaders of sorts. In 508 BCE, the Athenian aristocrat Cleisthenes instituted the first Athenian political democracy. As the Greek playwright, Euripides wrote in his play that, Nothing is worse for a city than a tyrant. (Section 2.2The Rise of Democracy and the Threat of Persia) Cleisthenes knew that, so he gave every. Democracy, a form of government, allows the people in their own nationality to vote for people in order for them to become representatives as a result to vote on new laws that would affect their own nationality. Each polis differ particular on economically, politically, and military, When in doubt, however, the city-states did not get along. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The Athenians valued their political freedom and free thought. Because Athens (back then it was called Athenai), was where the concept of democratic society was first formed. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 7 What are the limitations of a majority rule democracy? The mountains make trade within Greeces borders difficult. Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. Athens There was a constant importance of acknowledging all citizens hard work and participation. Government failure is a term to describe how government intervention can cause its own problems. This form of government is called direct democracy. I believe that ancient Athens was not a true democracy. And also huge people complain about the racism and the guns. For example, if youre poor youre still able to serve the state or be part of the government. The Athens also got to abolish politicians they did not like. Ancient Greece was divided into many different city-state who had their different cultures, the most critical being Athens and Sparta.They adored a broad range of god and goddesses,the most imperative of whom, the Olympians, small thought to live on Mount Olympus. Athens stood out from Sparta as well as the other city-states not only because of its immense population but also because it was the commercial leader of Greece and was home to a great navy. The Athenians were stronger because they had a better geography, government, cultural achievements, and I would rather live in the Athens. reading #2: "Greek Art." Spartas kings ruled until death or forcibly removed from office. These two city states shared some common characteristics whilst in some instances they were very different from each other. In addition, citizens had the chance to spend time acting as council representatives, which gave them power and direct involvement with decision making. The weaknesses weighed Sparta down, so here are some of those weaknesses. What are the advantages and disadvantages of ancient Greece? They are also carful with who can be a citizen rather then "stingy". All city-states differed from each other in some ways but all shared some characteristics too. The United States has a representative democracy. Because of this, Athens cannot be considered democratic. In the period known as classical Greece in the years 800-323 BCE, Greece comprised of small city states (poleis) which were considered and operated as independent small countries. But those attitudes shifted in the course of the 5th century under the influence of the Persian invasions of Greece in 480479 bce. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". What were the advantages and disadvantages of Greece? Athenss military prowess allowed them to look down on the other members of the League and treat them as members of an empire instead of equals. Sparta also has a great military strength, it is much better than Athens military because the men go to war at the age of 7-30. Athens also had much more trading power, and controlled more land than Sparta. The Spartans changed their society to remove all social distinction and became the greatest soldiers in Greece. Athens was the warm welcoming city-state in Ancient Greece, most unlike the horrific neighboring city-state, Sparta. Therefore, they could easily make decisions. Socrates did not care for the idea in general, and Aristotle thought it could, within a state, yield new forms of abuse of power. WebAs a result the Ancient Greece developed into isolated, small, independent communities. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. One of the most famous civilizations lies between three seas, the Aegean Sea, Sea of Crete, and the Ionian Sea. WebWidely thought of as the birthplace of democracy, Athens is Greece's central hub and has contributed much to the worlds of art, theatre, architecture, philosophy and politics. Each city-state had its own form of government and its own army, and even sometimes its own navy. City-state is an independent or nearly independent state in which political and cultural activities are concentrated in a single urban center (Legon). WebIn Homeric Age, the regime of Athens is citizens can go into politics directly, just like governor who wield the supreme power, this kind of regime called Direct Democracy. Athens was renowned as a center of wisdom and learning. Person who pays rent, either in money or crops, to grow crops on another person's land. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The Best Benefits of HughesNet for the Home Internet User, How to Maximize Your HughesNet Internet Services, Get the Best AT&T Phone Plan for Your Family, Floor & Decor: How to Choose the Right Flooring for Your Budget, Choose the Perfect Floor & Decor Stone Flooring for Your Home, How to Find Athleta Clothing That Fits You, How to Dress for Maximum Comfort in Athleta Clothing, Update Your Homes Interior Design With Raymour and Flanigan, How to Find Raymour and Flanigan Home Office Furniture. This means that the people of the said community can either rule directly or indirectly by electing officials to make decisions for the betterment of the people. Sparta advantage. Children were tortured to become strongerand all men would be fighting and stealing things just to survive. As records were made available for public examination, there was a means of holding public officials to account. 4 What are the pros and cons of democracy in ancient Greece? Tyranny Cons: Cons: Some tyrants were corrupt. The first inhabitants of Attica (the wider area of Athens), of who we are aware, lived during the Neolithic Period (6,000-2,800 BC). Unfortunately, the government makes the people feel powerless to the point where theyre forced to elect a candidate whos not impotent. When you look at the literal definition of democracy in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there is a decently large explanation. They became skilled sailors. Even though their government was ran by the people themselves, only the men in the city could vote. The people of Athens were interested in arts, music, and intellectual pursuits. some might say the Romans were better. This meant that they may not have represented mass opinion, whereas getting all males over the age of 18 involved in politics increased the likelihood of policies representing what people wanted. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. Greek city-states all were very similar but had differences. Athens offered many activities for all men, women, and children. Athenian citizens in that era were generally expected to have respectful qualities, like openness, a rational mind and belief in their authority, although they did have shortcomings. Athens was a small city compared to Rome that honored and protected citizenship. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The word democracy comes from two Greek words that mean people (demos) and rule (kratos). What did ancient Greece do for democracy? Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The ancient civilization of greece was different from many of the civilizations in its time. Some of the strengths of Athenian democracy include making decisions based on the opinions of many rather than a few, giving responsibility to more citizens and making records available for public examination. It was possible to prolong the rule for the next term but in case of any abnormalities a quick change of government took place. Democracy in Athens the government officials are chosen by sweepstakes and worked for 1 year for proposing and enforcing decrees but didnt have much individual power. By the time one enters the third grade they become aware of concept of democracy. They used to stay in caves located near the sea and their main occupations were hunting, fishing, farming and later on they started sailing and making pots. So there are some representatives want to use the direct democracy like some old country such as ancient Greek. To have a powerful and lasting empire with great prosperity you must have a series of strong leaders. According to the Athens and Sparta Document Set, a democracy means rule by the people. The system and ideas employed by the ancient Greeks had profound influences on how democracy developed, and its impact on the formation of the U.S. government. Who were excluded from Greeces limited democracy? Its population was over five times as great as the other small city-states. One of the main advantages of Athenian, Before the Age of Absolutism, institutions, such as the Church, legislatures, or social elites, restrained monarchical power. The Aetolians settled while the Dorians divided into two forces and continued on where one force took over Messenia and the other moved into Laconia and Sparta. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. For example, here in the United states which is a democracy, everyone is allowed to vote and have land. No i don't think Athens was truly democratic because, all the rules of ancient Athens are very unfair with all their rules and rights for all citizens. Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century B.C.E. The difference in land as well as population perceives a relative historical comparison. Athens, on the other hand, was a democracy after periods of monarchies and aristocracies. Athens on the other hand had a democracy as stated in Document 3, an excerpt from Funeral Orations by Pericles a quotes from this excerpt states it is true that our government is a democracy, because its administration is in the hands, not of the few, but of many.. This quote clearly states that the type of government Athens has is a. Democracy is an aspect that can be included in many different governments including, republics, monarchies, and theocracies. In Athens, all men born to Athenian parents were citizens, in Sparta, only the wealthy were citizens. However, in Athens, girls did not receive an education like the boys in Athen did but, instead, were expected to become housewives. Why was logical and public speaking emphasized more in Athens than any other city-state? The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The Pros And Cons Of Ancient Athenian Democracy. One of the many states of Greece, ancient Athens was indeed not truly democratic as a result of not inclusive, other than male citizens, to gain authority in ancient Athens, Demokratia was ruled by male citizens only, excluding women, free foreigners(Metics) and slaves.(Document D), therefore ruling Athens was only accessible to male citizen since since women, free foreigners(Metics), and slaves were not allowed to rule as a result of not being male citizens. This is the great story of Ancient Greece and how individualism changed the view Greece had on certain issues. He found its concepts to have unique strengths and weaknesses that he believed could be the inspiration for the new government of post-revolution France. Unlike the Romans, Athenians had a strict but fair schedule that allowed them to enjoy citizenship equally. For a long time, historians have kept this question in mind while studying laws and methods of the Ancient Athenians. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Geography had an enormous impact on the ancient Greek civilization. While there were opportunities for public officials to be reelected, this did mean that implementing policies became difficult, as there was not enough time to execute them. The history of Ancient Athens dates back to 6,000 years ago. Absolutism was characterized by the ending of feudal partitioning, consolidation of power with the monarch, rise of state, rise of professional standing armies, professional bureaucracies, the codification of state laws, and the rise of ideologies that justify the absolutist monarchy. WebThe common man, woman and children were considered subjects, who had no say in how the land was governed or any of the policies that were implemented. Spartas government was said to have a mixture of the major types of government which is oligarchy, monarchy, and democracy. Tenant farmer Person who pays rent, either in money or crops, to grow crops on another person's land Metic Foreigner in a Greek city-state, often a merchant or artisan Slavery The Athenian democracy was not equitable, and it did not consider slaves and foreigners. A source that shares this view is the Ted-Ed video this also similarly to historian Paul Cartledge states that Athens was a direct democracy and also that not all of the population had the right to. After investigating the given evidence, it can be determined Ancient Athens did not always vote on important matters and only a small majority of the population could vote.