The citizen making the proposal had to publish it [in] advance: publication consisted of writing the proposal on a whitened board located next to the statues of the Eponymous Heroes in the agora. Under this, anything passed or proposed by the assembly could be put on hold for review before a jury – which might annul it and perhaps punish the proposer as well. This is the position set out by the anti-democratic pamphlet known whose anonymous author is often called the Old Oligarch. [36] Altogether, the boule was responsible for a great portion of the administration of the state, but was granted relatively little latitude for initiative; the boule's control over policy was executed in its probouleutic, rather than its executive function; in the former, it prepared measures for deliberation by the assembly, in the latter, it merely executed the wishes of the assembly. The government in ancient Athens was an example of democracy. During an Athenian election, approximately one hundred officials out of a thousand were elected rather than chosen by lot. From a modern perspective these figures may seem small, but among Greek city-states Athens was huge: most of the thousand or so Greek cities could only muster 1000–1500 adult male citizens each; and Corinth, a major power, had at most 15,000. Pericles, according to Thucydides, characterized the Athenians as being very well-informed on politics: We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all. 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. One might expect, by analogy, that the term "demarchy" would have been adopted for the new form of government introduced by Athenian democrats. [37], Athens had an elaborate legal system centered on full citizen rights (see atimia). One reason that financial officials were elected was that any money embezzled could be recovered from their estates; election in general strongly favoured the rich, but in this case, wealth was virtually a prerequisite. A democratic Athens with an imperial policy will spread the desire for democracy outside of the polis. This was generally done as a reward for some service to the state. In this case, simply by demographic necessity, an individual could serve twice in a lifetime. The municipality (City) of Athens is also the capital of the Attica region. Athenian democracy has had many critics, both ancient and modern. Speaker's Platform, Athens Assembly, Pynx, Athensby Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA). Simplifying, Aristotle divided each into good and bad forms. New York, This page was last edited on 14 January 2021, at 00:02. This principle extended down to the secretaries and undersecretaries who served as assistants to magistrates such as the archons. 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. [63] According to Samons: The modern desire to look to Athens for lessons or encouragement for modern thought, government, or society must confront this strange paradox: the people that gave rise to and practiced ancient democracy left us almost nothing but criticism of this form of regime (on a philosophical or theoretical level). This also acted as a check against demagoguery, though this check was imperfect and did not prevent elections from involving pandering to voters.[60]. athens had an oligarchy in which several wealthy people ruled the government, while the united states is a republic in which all its citizens take part in government. Syracuse in Sicily had a run of famous tyrants, for example, Dionysios from 405 BCE and his son Dionysios II, who took over in 367 BCE. Perhaps the most famous bad decision from the Athenian democracy was the death sentence given to the philosopher Socrates in 399 BCE. Both of these processes were in most cases brief and formulaic, but they opened up the possibility of a contest before a jury court if some citizen wanted to take a matter up. Each of Cleisthenes's 10 tribes provided 50 councilors who were at least 30 years old. Arnason, JP., Raaflaub, KA. The regular turnover of archai, due to limited terms of office and the prohibition of re-election, meant abuse of power was kept in check and the rulers would, in turn, become the ruled. The values of freedom of equality include non-citizens more than it should. proportional) equality.[67][63]. The classical example that inspired the American and French revolutionaries, as well as English radicals, was Rome rather than Greece, and, in the age of Cicero and Caesar, Rome was a republic but not a democracy. Furthermore, they used the income from empire to fund payment for officeholding. In 561 BC, the nascent democracy was overthrown by the tyrant Peisistratos but was reinstated after the expulsion of his son, Hippias, in 510. Athens practiced a political system of legislation and executive bills. [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. Military commanders also held public office in some city-states. Other city-states had, at one time or another, systems of democracy, notably Argos, Syracuse, Rhodes, and Erythrai. The shadow of the old constitution lingered on and Archons and Areopagus survived the fall of the Roman Empire. [23] Although the legislation was not retrospective, five years later, when a free gift of grain had arrived from the Egyptian king to be distributed among all citizens, many "illegitimate" citizens were removed from the registers. Term: Athens' Government Definition: Only in Athens, and only for a short time, "rule by many" meant that all citizens had to be willing to take an active part in government. The Athenian government was the first democratic form of government recorded. 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]. Other Greek cities set up democracies, most following the Athenian model, but none are as well documented as Athens' democracy. 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? Yet in the case of Pericles, it is wrong to see his power as coming from his long series of annual generalships (each year along with nine others). When citizens have an equal say. [59] In the case of scrutiny going to trial, there was the risk for the former officeholder of suffering severe penalties. During peacetime the kings were kept in check by ephors (ephoroi) who were themselves elected by the assembly. In particular, those chosen by lot were citizens acting without particular expertise. There were two main categories in this group: those required to handle large sums of money, and the 10 generals, the strategoi. Last modified March 20, 2018. Its democracy was "the rule of the mob," and historians consider the Athenians as the developers of democracy. Thank you! 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. After his death, Athenian democracy was twice briefly interrupted by oligarchic revolutions towards the end of the Peloponnesian War. 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. [56] The Areopagus kept its power as 'Guardian of the Laws', which meant that it could veto actions it deemed unconstitutional, however, this worked in practice. Most importantly, the Boule would draft probouleumata, or deliberations for the Ecclesia to discuss and approve on. Powerful, self-interested nobles monopolized government. Another tack of criticism is to notice the disquieting links between democracy and a number of less than appealing features of Athenian life. Though there might be blocs of opinion, sometimes enduring, on important matters, there were no political parties and likewise no government or opposition (as in the Westminster system). The archons made decisions regarding Athens, and then submitted these decisions to the Areopagus for approval or denial. Should sovereignty (kyrion) lie in the rule of law (nomoi), the constitution (politea), officials, or the citizens? In addition, in times of crisis and war, this body could also take decisions without the assembly meeting. The longest-lasting democratic leader was Pericles. 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. Athens’ constitution is called a democracy because it respects the interests not of the minority but of the whole people. It would be misleading to say that the tradition of Athenian democracy was an important part of the 18th-century revolutionaries' intellectual background. Aristotle points to other cities that adopted governments in the democratic style. A chairman for each tribe was chosen by lot each day, who was required to stay in the tholos for the next 24 hours, presiding over meetings of the Boule and Assembly. The central events of the Athenian democracy were the meetings of the assembly (ἐκκλησία, ekklesía). Athens' constitution is called a democracy because it respects the interests not of a minority but of the whole people. The presidency role in Athens was not as important or treasured as it is in the US. 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". For the Greeks, the state was not seen as an interfering entity which sought to limit one’s freedom but as an apparatus through which the individual could fully express his membership of the community. It was very direct; everyone had a vote, majority ruled, end of story. Additional meetings might still be called, especially as up until 355 BC there were still political trials that were conducted in the assembly, rather than in court. In 416 BC, the graphē paranómōn ('indictment against measures contrary to the laws') was introduced. Not settling on a definitive answer to these questions, government in the ancient Greek world, therefore, took extraordinarily diverse forms and, across different city-states and over many centuries, political power could rest in the hands of a single individual, an elite or in every male citizen: democracy - widely regarded as the Greeks' greatest contribution to civilization. The government systems of ancient Greece were varied as the Greeks searched for the answers to such fundamental questions as who should rule and how? cies. Although democracy predated Athenian imperialism by over thirty years, they are sometimes associated with each other. The assembly had four main functions: it made executive pronouncements (decrees, such as deciding to go to war or granting citizenship to a foreigner), elected some officials, legislated, and tried political crimes. Competence does not seem to have been the main issue, but rather, at least in the 4th century BC, whether they were loyal democrats or had oligarchic tendencies. Every citizen was a part of the government, no matter what their social standing. [17], Estimates of the population of ancient Athens vary. Any male citizen 18 years or over could speak (at least in theory) & vote in the assembly of Athens. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. If you're one of those people, it's remove that silly notion from your brain. The cases were put by the litigants themselves in the form of an exchange of single speeches timed by a water clock or clepsydra, first prosecutor then defendant. Jurors were required to be under oath, which was not required for attendance at the assembly. No office appointed by lot could be held twice by the same individual. 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. The percentage of the population that actually participated in the government was 10% to 20% of the total number of inhabitants, but this varied from the fifth to the fourth century BC. [35], The boule also served as an executive committee for the assembly, and oversaw the activities of certain other magistrates. At times the imperialist democracy acted with extreme brutality, as in the decision to execute the entire male population of Melos and sell off its women and children simply for refusing to become subjects of Athens. Decisions were made by voting without any time set aside for deliberation. Many civic positions were short-term and chosen by lot to ensure bribery was kept to a minimum. [47], The word idiot originally simply meant "private citizen"; in combination with its more recent meaning of "foolish person", this is sometimes used by modern commentators to demonstrate that the ancient Athenians considered those who did not participate in politics as foolish. The ancient city of Athens, Greece, had a democratic government. During the 4th century BC, there might well have been some 250,000–300,000 people in Attica. Of these three bodies, the assembly and the courts were the true sites of power – although courts, unlike the assembly, were never simply called the demos ('the people'), as they were manned by just those citizens over thirty. 1. [34], The members from each of the ten tribes in the Boule took it in turns to act as a standing committee (the prytaneis) of the Boule for a period of thirty-six days. One downside to this change was that the new democracy was less capable of responding quickly in times where quick, decisive action was needed. During emergencies, the Ecclesia would also grant special temporary powers to the Boule. All citizens were eligible for the position, and indeed there may well have been a certain expectation that the honourable citizen would play his active part in civic life. In the 5th century, there were no procedural differences between an executive decree and a law. The powers of officials were precisely defined and their capacity for initiative limited. Athenian democracy was characterised by being run by the "many" (the ordinary people) who were allotted to the committees which ran government. By state law the City Council must also appoint the Police Chief, Fire Chief and City Clerk. In the 5th century at least, there were scarcely any limits on the power exercised by the assembly. By granting the formerly aristocratic role to every free citizen of Athens who owned property, Solon reshaped the social framework of the city-state. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided ancient Greek government into monarchies, oligarchies, tyrannies and democracies, and most historians still use these same categories.A monarchy is when a king or queen (or in Sparta two kings) rules the city-state.. An oligarchy is when a council of rich people inherits power from their parents. Cleisthenes issued reforms in 508 and 507 BC that undermined the domination of the aristocratic families and connected every Athenian to the city's rule. In situations involving a public figure, the initiator was referred to as a kategoros ('accuser'), a term also used in cases involving homicide, rather than ho diokon ('the one who pursues').[46]. [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. That influence was based on his relation with the assembly, a relation that in the first instance lay simply in the right of any citizen to stand and speak before the people. [20], Only adult male Athenian citizens who had completed their military training as ephebes had the right to vote in Athens. In 404 BCE, following the defeat of the Athenian military forces in Sicily, there was an oligarchy of ‘the Thirty Tyrants’ in Athens which was a particularly brutal regime, noted for its summary executions. 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. Here you may view current agendas and minutes from meetings of Athens' public bodies. Annual MLK Day of Service, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021 In 1994, Congress made the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday an official day of service. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. While Ephialtes's opponents were away attempting to assist the Spartans, he persuaded the Assembly to reduce the powers of the Areopagus to a criminal court for cases of homicide and sacrilege. During the 4th century BC, there might well have been some 250,000–300,000 people in Attica. No judges presided over the courts, nor did anyone give legal direction to the jurors. Notably, this was introduced more than fifty years before payment for attendance at assembly meetings. Four presided over the judicial administration. In … [54], Solon's reforms allowed the archons to come from some of the higher propertied classes and not only from the aristocratic families. By the mid-4th century, however, the assembly's judicial functions were largely curtailed, though it always kept a role in the initiation of various kinds of political trial. There was also a tendency for the four meetings to be aggregated toward the end of each state month. In the 5th century BC, principally as seen through the figure of Pericles, the generals could be among the most powerful people in the polis. Democracy in Greece could be described as the rule of the people by the people. Whether the democratic failures should be seen as systemic, or as a product of the extreme conditions of the Peloponnesian war, there does seem to have been a move toward correction. One of these was now called the main meeting, kyria ekklesia. The allotment of an individual was based on citizenship, rather than merit or any form of personal popularity which could be bought. Term: Athens' Government Definition: Only in Athens, and only for a short time, "rule by many" meant that all citizens had to be willing to take an active part in government. [18] Athenian citizens had to be descended from citizens; after the reforms of Pericles and Cimon in 450 BC, only those descended from two Athenian parents could claim citizenship. Collectivizing political responsibility lends itself to both dishonest practices and scapegoating individuals when measures become unpopular. 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. [58] In addition, there were some limitations on who could hold office. Every male citizen over 18 had to be registered in his deme. They were subject to votes of confidence by the Assembly but this didn’t stop Pericles, for example, holding office as strategos for 15 consecutive years. In other Greek states then, there were also democratic assemblies, sometimes, though, with a minimum property stipulation for attendees (as in the Boiotian federation 447-386 BCE). Oligarchies were perhaps the most common form of city-state government and they often occurred when democracy went wrong. Around 500 B.C.E., the people of the city-state of Athens 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]. They can vote on all laws and decisions made in the government Representative Democracy: (United States) When citizens vote on someone to represent them in the government. 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. 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