Athenian democracy

Athenian democracy was a form of government that originated in the Greek city-state of Athens between 460 BCE to 320 BCE. While other Greek city-states experimented with democracy, only Athens truly embraced the concept. Athenian citizens held great political power over their public affairs through the use of public assemblies and participation in councils and courts. These citizens were able to vote for their leaders, laws, and other crucial measures. Athenian democracy had several weaknesses, particularly its exclusion of women, enslaved people, and non-residents from the political process. However, the ideas and ideals of the system flourished for thousands of years and went on to inspire modern forms of democracy.

Background

In most ancient societies, government participation by regular citizens was minimal or nonexistent. Most governments were monarchies or oligarchies—governments ruled by a small number of people. Frequently, individuals or married couples ruled as kings, queens, pharaohs, or other types of monarch. These leaders held most or all power in the country and, upon their deaths, their powers passed immediately to their children or to handpicked successors. This unquestioned line of succession was termed a dynasty.

The concept of citizens voting for their leaders or participating in making laws was unknown in most cultures. Rather, citizens were often led to believe that the monarchs held their power due to divine right, or were themselves divine. For that reason, the rulers and their dynasties were often considered infallible and their decisions and right to rule could not be questioned. Dissent frequently led to severe punishment, including banishment, arrest, torture, or death.

Ancient Greece was an unusual society in that it was formed by a large and loosely associated group of city-states—small, mostly independent governing units. A great diversity of lands and peoples governed by ancient Greece, along with Greek philosophies such as humanism, led to wide varieties in forms of government. Some city-states ruled by oligarchies allowed for a degree of popular representation in government. Greek city-states including Argos, Erythrai, Rhodes, and Syracuse developed systems that included notable democratic elements. However, these political experiments did not last and were not well chronicled by ancient historians.

The strong and well-organized democratic government that developed in the city-state of Athens between 460 BCE to 320 BCE was well documented. Greek historians such as Xenophon, Herodotus, and Thucydides kept records of this government’s structure, duties, powers, and accomplishments. Followers of the philosopher Aristotle helped to write the government’s constitution. Laws, contracts, and speeches were transcribed in lasting form, and playwrights even spoofed the Athenian government in comedies. And while Athenian democracy did not last, its many records allowed its memory and spirit to inspire representative governments millennia later.

Overview

Ancient Greece helped to form the basis of modern Western Civilization. Its revolutions in philosophy, art, architecture, and entertainment created some of the world’s most cherished traditions and beliefs. Perhaps no legacy of ancient Greece is as strong today as the spirit of democracy formed and practiced in Athens. Under Athenian democracy, all male citizens were allowed equal rights in politics. They were free to speak their opinions, vote for their leaders, and serve in government offices. Political actions took place in public places open to all citizens. In fact, the word democracy comes from the Greek words dēmos, or “common people,” and kratos, or “rule.”

The hub of the Athenian democratic system was the assembly. The assembly met at least once, and often several times, each month on a specified hill in Athens. The hill was large enough to host some 6,000 citizens, a fair percentage of the city’s overall population of approximately 45,000 male citizens. Assemblies were overseen by nine presidents who were elected just for that occasion and monitored the proceedings and tallied votes.

During an assembly, citizens had permission to speak freely and publicly, as well as vote for candidates or on pressing issues. Citizens generally voted just by raising their hands to show agreement. In cases requiring a secret ballot, citizens voted by etching words or names on bits of broken pottery which were then examined and tallied. Voting might involve choosing new officials or assessing the performance of current officials. Officials or other citizens seen as causing public harm might be censured or even banished from the city-state. Other important issues that often came to a vote included passing or revoking laws; making decisions regarding treaties, foreign relations, and war; or accepting or rejecting spending proposals. During the voting procedure, citizens had the right to speak freely. The final decision was approved by majority vote and could not be questioned.

While the assembly handled most matters in a large-scale public way, Athenians also created a smaller council called the Boule. The boule contained five hundred citizens chosen at random to serve a one-year term, with a limitation to two total terms. This body of citizens was structured so that it would be led by a rotating group of executives representing the major families or tribes of the city; the rotation was meant to avoid any group gaining too much influence. Boule members had several tasks, including monitoring public officials and committees, making emergency decisions during wars or other crises, and guarding the city treasury.

The Boule and assembly were further joined with a series of courts that would review laws and make many of the legal decisions that impacted citizens, such as those relating to debts and naturalization. Together, this meticulously structured governmental system was intended to safeguard the city from tyranny. Ensuring public participation, majority rule, and temporary and rotating offices meant that no leader would gain ultimate power. In addition, the interplay between the assembly, Boule, and courts created an overlap of power that would inspire modern systems of checks and balances.

Despite the many advances represented in Athenian democracy, the system had some major flaws. Most notably, its vision of democracy was severely limited, and from a modern standpoint would likely be seen as highly restrictive and repressive. Only adult male citizens were considered true citizens capable of participating. Women, enslaved people, and non-citizens in Athens were left with no voice or direct representation in the government. In addition, even critics in the ancient world pointed out potential weaknesses in the democratic system. Several esteemed Greek philosophers suggested that regular citizens were incapable of efficient rule as they lacked the intelligence and courage, and were too easily swayed by emotions or misleading appeals.

Bibliography

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Blackwell, Christopher W. “An Introduction to Classical Athenian Democracy.” Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies, October 2002, chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/1184. Accessed 5 March 2019.

Cartledge, Paul. “The Democratic Experiment.” BBC, 17 Feb. 2011, www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy‗01.shtml. Accessed 5 March 2019.

Cartwright, Mark. “Athenian Democracy.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 3 April 2018, www.ancient.eu/Athenian‗Democracy/. Accessed 5 March 2019.

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