Good Morning

Please take out your notes from last night.

1. What form of government did you form to maintain order in the Island experiment?

2. Why would Greece’s geography lead to the creation of city-state controlled government?

• Greece is made up of islands and mountains. It is difficult to travel around the country of Greece.

• The Individual city-state made their own government to establish laws for their citizens.

• Not all city states had the same laws.

3. What is a monarchy?

• A monarchy is rule by one individual, usually a king or queen.

4. What is an aristocracy?

• An aristocracy is a government ruled by a small group of noble, land owning families.

5. Why did oligarchy governments form?

• Trade expanded and wealthy merchants wanted to share or take power from the nobility.

• A few powerful people, non-nobles control the government.

6. Of these three forms of government, which would you prefer to live under and why?

7. What does democracy mean?

• Democracy means rule of the people. It comes from the Greek words demos meaning “people” and kratos meaning “power”

8. Who were the citizens of Athens and how did they participate in government?

• Citizens were adult male residents who enjoyed certain rights and responsibilities.

9. Who ruled in the city of Athens?

• An assembly of citizens elected three nobles to rule the city state.

• After a year of service the nobles became part of a larger council of advisors.

10. Why is it a privilege to be able to take part in the political process?

• Can make the rules. • Influence where tax

revenues are spent. • Can push a specific

agenda to be addressed by the legislature.

• Have your opinion heard.

11. What are the three stages that the poor farmers went through to try to pay their debts?

• The farmers pledged part of the crops to wealthy landowners.

• They later pledged their lands.

• Finally they sold themselves into slavery and were unable to leave the land.

12. How did Solon’s reforms enable Athens to avoid a revolution and civil war?

• Solon passed a law outlawing slavery based on debt and cancelled farmers’ debts.

13. What did Solon base his class system on?

• Solon based his four class system on wealth rather than heredity.

14. How did Solon’s reforms allow for more participation in government? Give at least 3 examples:

• The citizens of the three upper classes could hold public office.

• Even the lowest class had the right to vote.

• All free adult males were citizens.

• Council of 400 was established.

• Any citizen could bring charges against wrong doers.

15. Why is the system of government under Solon known as a limited democracy?

• Only citizens could participate in government and only one-tenth of the population were citizens at the time.

16. Who were denied citizen rights in Athens? Why might this be a problem in the future?

• Women, slaves and foreign residents were denied citizenship.

17. Why is Cleisthenes considered the founder of democracy in Athens?

• Cleisthenes made more reforms to allow for more participation in government.

• He reorganized the assembly to balance the power between the power of the rich and poor.

18. How did he increase the power of the assembly?

• He allowed all citizens to submit laws for debate and passage

19. What did the Council of 500 do?

• The Council proposed laws and counseled the assembly.

• Members were chosen at random

• It allowed Athenian citizens to participate in a limited democracy.

20. How did the Greek wars against the Persians strengthen democracy?

• The Greek city states had to work together to defeat the Persian forces.

• In Athens public debates were held to discuss how to defend the city.

21. How did Pericles strengthen Greek democracy?

• Pericles strengthened Greek democracy by increasing the number of paid public officials and by paying jurors.

• This enabled poorer citizens to participate in the government.

22. What is a direct democracy?

• A direct democracy is a form of government in which citizens rule and make laws directly rather than through representatives.

23. How did democracy in Greece come to an end?

• Democracy came to and end when Athens and Sparta went to war.

• The weakened city-states were conquered by neighboring Macedonia.

24. What are the two main assumptions made by the Greek philosophers of the fourth century B.C.?

• The universe is put together in an orderly way and is subject to absolute and unchanging laws.

• People can understand these laws through logic and reason.

25. Why are these assumptions also know as natural laws?

• They occur in nature and apply to everyone.

26. What did Socrates encourage his students to do?

• Socrates encouraged his students to challenge their most closely held beliefs.

27. What is Plato’s vision of the perfect society?

• Plato’s vision of a perfect society is lead by Philosopher Kings.

• Not the richest or most powerful, but the wisest.

28. What is Aristotle’s view on man’s natural desire?

• Aristotle’s view is that man is by nature a political animal, and it is in mans nature to live in a state.

• To live with rules and know that the laws will be enforced to maintain safety and order in society.

29. List five ways in which the Ancient Greek and modern U.S. democracy are the same:

• Political Power exercised by citizens.

• Three branches of government.

• Legislative branch passes laws.

• Executive branch carries out the laws.

• Judicial Branch conducts trials with paid jurors.

Quiz questions

• Write 5 multiple choice quiz questions based on these notes.