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"Acropolis" by Dan Cross is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Athenian DemocracyBy Mark Cartwright

2014

Mark Cartwright is a scholar of Greek philosophy and a frequent contributor to the Ancient HistoryEncyclopedia. In this text, he discusses the democratic government during the Golden Age of Athens. Athenswas a Greek city-state in ancient Greece that developed from rule under benevolent tyrants during thearchaic period of 800-480 B.C. These leaders began to create official laws as early as 620 B.C., but it wasn’tuntil Cleisthenes reformed the government in 507 B.C. that democracy truly began to emerge. The GoldenAge of Athens lasted from 480 B.C. to 340 B.C., and was characterized by democracy as well as a burst ofcreative literature, art, architecture, philosophy, and increased trade and influence in the MediterraneanSea. As you read, note who has political power and how Athens used checks and balances in theirgovernment. Identify the ways that Athenian democracy was both fair and unfair.

Athens in the 5th to 4th century B.C. had anextraordinary system of government, whereby allmale citizens had equal political rights, freedomof speech, and the opportunity to participatedirectly in the political arena. This system wasdemocracy. Further, not only did citizensparticipate in a direct democracy whereby theythemselves made the decisions by which theylived, but they also actively served in theinstitutions1 that governed them, and so theydirectly controlled all parts of the politicalprocess.

Other city-states had at one time or anothersystems of democracy — notably Argos, Syracuse, Rhodes, and Erythrai. In addition, sometimesoligarchies2 could involve a high degree of political equality. But the Athenian version of democracy,starting around 460 B.C. and ending around 320 B.C. and involving all male citizens, was certainly themost developed. Any citizen could speak to the assembly3 and vote on decisions by simply holding uptheir hands. The majority won the day.

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1. Institution (noun): an established organization; a custom, practice, or law that is accepted and used by many people2. An oligarchy is a small group of people that control a society or government.3. Assembly (noun): a group of people who make and change laws for a government or organization

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The Institutions of Democracy

The word democracy (dēmokratia) derives from the Greek words dēmos, which refers to the entirecitizen body, and kratos, meaning rule. Any male citizen could, then, participate in the main democraticbody of Athens, the assembly (ekklēsia). In the 4th and 5th centuries B.C., the male citizen populationof Athens ranged from 30,000 to 60,000 people depending on the period. The assembly met at leastonce a month, more likely two or three times, on the Pnyx hill in a dedicated space which couldaccommodate4 around 6,000 citizens. Any citizen could speak to the assembly and vote on decisions bysimply holding up their hands. The majority won the vote and the decision was final. Nine presidents,elected at random and holding the office one time only, organized the proceedings and assessed thevoting.

Specific issues discussed in the assembly included deciding military and financial offices, organizingand maintaining food supplies, initiating legislation5 and political trials, deciding to send envoys,6

deciding whether or not to sign treaties, voting to raise or spend funds, and debating military matters.The assembly could also vote to exile7 from Athens any citizen who had become too powerful anddangerous for the polis, or city-state. In this case there was a secret ballot where voters wrote a nameon a piece of broken pottery. An important element in the debates was freedom of speech, whichbecame, perhaps, the citizen’s most valued privilege. After suitable discussion, temporary or specificdecrees8 were adopted and laws defined. The assembly also ensured decisions were enforced andofficials were carrying out their duties correctly.

There was in Athens (and several other city-states) a smaller body, called the boulē, which decided orprioritized the topics that were discussed in the assembly. In addition, in times of crisis and war, thiscouncil could also take decisions without the assembly meeting. The council was composed of 500citizens who were chosen at random and who served for one year.

In addition to all these political institutions were the law courts which were composed of 6,000 jurors9

and a body of chief judges chosen annually at random. Indeed, there was a specially designed machineof colored tokens used to ensure those selected were chosen randomly, a process judges had to gothrough twice. It was here in the courts that laws made by the assembly could be challenged anddecisions were made regarding exile, naturalization,10 and debt.

This complex system was, no doubt, meant to ensure a suitable degree of checks and balances to anypotential abuse of power, and to ensure each traditional region was equally represented and givenequal powers. With people chosen at random to hold important positions and with terms of officestrictly limited, it was difficult for any individual or small group to dominate or unduly11 influence thedecision-making process either directly themselves or, because one never knew exactly who would beselected, indirectly by bribing those in power at any one time. ;

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4. Accommodate (verb): to have room for (someone or something)5. Legislation (noun): laws or the process of making laws6. Envoy (noun): a person who is sent by one government to represent it in dealing with another government7. Exile (verb): to force (someone) to go to live in a distant place or foreign country8. Decree (noun): an official order9. A juror is a member of a jury that decides the verdict of a case.

10. Naturalization (noun): to allow (someone born in a different country) to become a new citizen11. Unduly (adverb): to an extreme, unreasonable, or unnecessary degree

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Participation in Government

As we have seen, only male citizens who were 18 years or over could speak (at least in theory) and votein the assembly, while positions such as judges and jurors were limited to those over 30 years of age.Therefore, women, slaves, and resident foreigners were excluded from the political process.

The mass involvement of all male citizens and the expectation that they should participate actively inthe running of the polis is clear in this quote from Thucydides:12 “We alone consider a citizen who doesnot partake in politics not only one who minds his own business but useless.” Direct involvement in thepolitics of the polis also meant that the Athenians developed a unique collective identity and probablytoo, a certain pride in their system. This pride is shown in Pericles‘ famous Funeral Oration for theAthenian dead in 431 B.C., the first year of the Peloponnesian War:

Athens’ constitution is called a democracy because it respects the interests not of aminority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes,everyone is equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person beforeanother in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership of aparticular class, but the actual ability which the man possesses. No one, so long as hehas it in him to be of service to the state, is kept in political obscurity13 because ofpoverty. (Pericles quoted in Thucydides 2.37)

Citizens probably accounted for 10% to 20% of the polis population, and of these it has been estimatedthat only 3,000 or so people actively participated in politics. Of this group, perhaps as few as 100citizens — the wealthiest, most influential, and the best speakers — dominated the political arena bothin front of the assembly and behind the scenes in private conspiratorial14 political meetings andgroups. These groups had to meet secretly because although there was freedom of speech, persistentcriticism of individuals and institutions could lead to accusations of conspiring15 to create tyranny16

and so lead to exile.

Critics of democracy, such as Thucydides and Aristophanes,17 pointed out that not only wereproceedings dominated by an elite, but that the people could be too often swayed by a good orator18

or popular leaders (the demagogues19), get carried away with their emotions, or lack the necessaryknowledge to make informed decisions. Perhaps the most notoriously20 bad decisions taken by theAthenian dēmos were the execution of six generals after they had actually won the Battle of Arginusaein 406 B.C. and the death sentence given to the philosopher Socrates in 399 B.C. ;

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12. Thucydides (460 – 395 B.C.) is a famous historian known for his complete history of the Peloponnesian War.13. Obscurity (noun): the state of being unknown or forgotten14. Conspiratorial (adjective): involving a secret plan by two or more people15. Conspire (verb): to secretly plan with someone to do something that is harmful or illegal16. Tyranny (noun): a government in which all the power belongs to one person17. Aristophanes (445 – 385 B.C.) was an influential Greek comic playwright. According to Plato, it was Aristophanes’

slander against the philosopher Socrates in the play The Clouds that led to Socrates’ execution.18. Orator (noun): public speaker19. Demagogue (noun): a leader in a democracy who gains popularity by exploiting prejudice, fear, and ignorance20. Notorious (adjective): well-known or famous especially for something bad

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"Athenian Democracy", © 2014, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Reprinted with permission, all rights reserved.

Conclusion

Democracy, which had prevailed during Athens’ Golden Age, was replaced by a system of oligarchyafter the disastrous Athenian defeat in Sicily in 409 B.C. during the Peloponnesian War. Theconstitutional change, according to Thucydides, seemed the only way to win much-needed supportfrom Persia against the old enemy Sparta and, further, it was thought that the change would not be apermanent one. Nevertheless, democracy in a slightly altered form did eventually return to Athensand, in any case, the Athenians had already done enough in creating their political system to eventuallyinfluence subsequent civilizations two millennia21 later.

In the words of historian K. A. Raaflaub, democracy in ancient Athens was “a unique and trulyrevolutionary system that realized its basic principle to an unprecedented22 and quite extreme extent:no polis had ever dared to give all its citizens equal political rights, regardless of their descent,23 wealth,social standing, education, personal qualities, and any other factors that usually determined status in acommunity.”

Ideals such as these would form the cornerstones of all democracies in the modern world. The ancientGreeks have provided us with fine art, breath-taking temples, timeless theatre, and some of thegreatest philosophers — but it is democracy that is, perhaps, their greatest and most enduring legacy.

21. A millennium is a thousand years.22. Unprecedented (noun): not done or experienced before23. Descent (noun): a person's ancestors

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Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which TWO of the following best identify the central ideas of this text?A. Athenian democracy wasn’t truly a democracy, but an oligarchy skewed towards

the wealthy.B. Athenian democracy was highly popular among citizens, with a majority of male

citizens participating in the governmental process.C. Athenian democracy established a system of checks and balances thanks to

separate and limited government institutions.D. Athenian democracy was imperfect because clever or manipulative politicians

could influence citizens.E. Athens was the first and only ancient Greek city-state to develop a

representative democracy.F. The Athenian democratic assembly had the power to make decisions regarding

military campaigns, exile, naturalization, and debt.

2. PART B: Which TWO phrases from the text best support the answers to Part A?A. “In addition, sometimes oligarchies could involve a high degree of political

equality.” (Paragraph 2)B. “Specific issues discussed in the assembly included deciding military and

financial offices, organizing and maintaining food supplies, initiating legislationand political trials, deciding to send envoys, deciding whether or not to signtreaties, voting to raise or spend funds, and debating military matters.”(Paragraph 4)

C. “This complex system was, no doubt, meant to ensure a suitable degree ofchecks and balances to any potential abuse of power, and to ensure eachtraditional region was equally represented and given equal powers.” (Paragraph7)

D. “Of this group, perhaps as few as 100 citizens — the wealthiest, most influential,and the best speakers — dominated the political arena both in front of theassembly and behind the scenes in private conspiratorial political meetings andgroups.” (Paragraph 10)

E. “Critics of democracy, such as Thucydides and Aristophanes, pointed out thatnot only were proceedings dominated by an elite, but that the people could betoo often swayed by a good orator or popular leaders (the demagogues), getcarried away with their emotions, or lack the necessary knowledge to makeinformed decisions.” (Paragraph 11)

F. “no polis had ever dared to give all its citizens equal political rights, regardless oftheir descent, wealth, social standing, education, personal qualities, and anyother factors that usually determined status in a community.” (Paragraph 13)

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3. PART A: What connection does the author draw between democracy and the elite?A. The elite often had the natural leadership skills or wealth necessary to sway the

assembly and influence one another.B. The elite waited for moments of weakened democracy in which to reestablish

the oligarchy that gave them power.C. The elite sought to undermine democracy by creating conspiracies to place

tyrants in power.D. The elite influenced the assembly by forming the bulk of the boulē council that

oversaw the assembly.

4. PART B: Which sentence from the text best supports the answer to Part A?A. “There was in Athens (and several other city-states) a smaller body, called

the boulē, which decided or prioritized the topics that were discussed in theassembly.” (Paragraph 5)

B. “Of this group, perhaps as few as 100 citizens — the wealthiest, most influential,and the best speakers — dominated the political arena both in front of theassembly and behind the scenes in private conspiratorial political meetings andgroups.” (Paragraph 10)

C. “persistent criticism of individuals and institutions could lead to accusations ofconspiring to create tyranny” (Paragraph 10)

D. “Democracy, which had prevailed during Athens’ Golden Age, was replaced by asystem of oligarchy after the disastrous Athenian defeat in Sicily in 409 B.C.during the Peloponnesian War.” (Paragraph 12)

5. How does the quote by Thucydides in paragraph 9 contribute to the author’sexplanation of Athens’ form of democracy in the text?

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Discussion QuestionsDirections: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared toshare your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. What elements of Athenian democracy do you see in your government today? Why do youthink these ideas have lasted over 2,000 years?

2. Do you believe that democracies still face the challenges that Thucydides and Aristophanescomplained of in Athens, such as demagogues, elite influence, or poor knowledge amongvoters? Can you name some contemporary examples?

3. What recommendations would you provide to Athenian citizens who wished to limit thenegative elements of democracy?

4. Athenians had to overthrow the rule of tyrants before they could develop democracy. Howdo you think their past rulers influenced their rules for democracy? What does this teach usabout social change and achieving peaceful societies?

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