City-state is an independent or nearly independent state in which political and cultural activities are concentrated in a single urban center (Legon). When you look at the literal definition of democracy in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there is a decently large explanation. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Democracy in Athenian government the way that the citizens pass a vote is getting done, in elected by the assembly annually for making decisions about military matters and by showing hands. But they were loyal to their city-state. In addition to simply being a peninsula, Greeces coastline has many accessible harbor locations. 2 What were the limitations of the ancient Greeks? Hard work and equality is what makes a nation outstanding. There was a constant importance of acknowledging all citizens hard work and participation. Ancient Greece is also known for many things like the birthplace of the first Olympics, beautiful architecture, and famous philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. It seems fair and gives equality to all regardless of social class. This information provided significantly when comparing modern societies to ancient Greece and also in justify as to why democracy was significant to Greece. 8 Who was not allowed to become a citizen of Greece? Apart from many smaller changes, it was mainly based on the opportunity for all citizens over 20 to take part in governing the country. In Athen, Schools taught reading, writing, and mathematics, music, poetry, sport, and gymnastics. Establishing government is one of the most important inventions develop human beings. 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. 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. 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. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Additionally, the reliability affected by the emotive language being employed in this article as the author utilises this language it demonstrates that bias is present. Athenians were educated(except girls) but they never knew much about brute force, unlike the Spartans. As I will come to. Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state. 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. 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 was a superior city state over Sparta. When you look at the literal definition of democracy in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there is a decently large explanation. This crossroad marked a change to the government. 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. Logically enough, the English word itself is derived from older Middle French or Middle Latin equivalents. Democracy is the modern day standard for governmental systems. 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. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The concept of leadership was prevalent in the ancient world. Members of Spartan offices were also restricted to people who had very high social standing. From the system of creating new laws to the checks and balances that define the American government. The current American democracy may have steamed from Athens, but they do not really have that much in common. 9 What was the disadvantage of tyranny in ancient Greece? The two biggest city-states have always had issues. Now, there are a lot of people was worried about the system, because there are too many problems of their government. 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. In ancient Greece, demokratia, otherwise known as democracy can be battered down into demo, and kratia. Athens is the capital and the largest city of Greece. While it has been stated that Athens is the cradle of democracy, and that it was better than any of the other governments in the world, it was still a work in progress. The Constitution also represents the value and principles of democracy and republicanism that the United States of American stands by. How do these two city-states differ? Questions/ Activities: Do reading #1 and answer these questions: * Make a list of the major characteristics/beliefs of the religion of the ancient Greeks. Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. They took politics very seriously and made sure that everyone had a voiced opinion. 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. Athens was the largest polis in Greece. Each city-state had its own form of government and its own army, and even sometimes its own navy. Apart from many smaller changes, it was mainly based on the opportunity for all citizens over 20 to take part in governing the country. Spartas only ace was its military way of life and war tactics. Democracy is now prescribed as inseparable from good governance and an antidote to corruption. They also had five overseers who were elected to do regular every-day operations of Sparta. The Athenians were stronger because they had a better geography, government, cultural achievements, and I would rather live in the Athens. Democracy (disadvantage) Only the elite or upper class had a role in government, lower class not represented. Sparta and Athens are very different from the way they are administered as well as their practices. Lastly, because so much of Greece is rocky, mountainous terrain, there isnt a lot of fertile soil. By our understanding it was an oligarchy, not democracy. Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. The five most powerful Greek city-states were; Athens, Sparta, Corinth. WebAdvantages: Greece has mountains which were good for grazing sheep and goats, Greece is next to the Ionian sea on the west, the Mediterranean Sea on the south, and the Aegean sea on the east which enabled the Greeks to fish and to trade with older, more complex cultures, the climate was good for growing deep rooted plants like olives and grapes, so olive oil and Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. For example, if youre poor youre still able to serve the state or be part of the government. WebThe Sea shaped the Greek civilizations as rivers did in the other ancient civilizations. 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. The purpose of this essay is to prove that ancient Greece wasnt truly democratic. By the time one enters the third grade they become aware of concept of democracy. Sparta and Athens had differences and similarities in the way they governed their city states, in how they established their military forces, how they treated women, their marriage customs and social gatherings. In Athens, the ruler Draco tried to make many reforms in the city state. Education was very important in Athens. The idea of liberalism first began in the 1600s with John Locke as he believed that the people should be allowed to remove the government currently ruling when they have misused their power for ulterior motives. Who were excluded from Greeces limited democracy? It also represents the control of an organization or group by the majority of its members. 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. Athens was a small city compared to Rome that honored and protected citizenship. What are the advantages of the ancient Greek system? 7 What was the disadvantage of democracy in ancient Greece? Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. Ancient Greece was comprised of small city-states, of which Sparta and Athens were two. Athens was a much more superior polis compared to Sparta because the Athenians invented new ideas and creations that supported the people, such as democracy, the Athenians led the Delian League, and Sparta created the Peloponnesian League after the Athenians created their alliance, and the Athenians changed the ways of their government many times to suit the people, and the Spartans did not. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Democracy is an aspect that can be included in many different governments including, republics, monarchies, and theocracies. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Like the Spartans they too wanted to protect their state but unlike the Spartans, the Athenians strove for excellence not only in being warriors but also in their everyday lives. 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. He distinguishes three aspects: democracy as a principle of legitimacy (power not derives, Advantages And Disadvantages Of Democracy, Democracy. 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. The direct democracy of Athens wasnt actually as inclusive and steady as the statement at Pericles 's funeral state, Our Constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people (Doc C). In fact, of the 450,000 citizens of Athens in 430 BC, only about 40,000 people had the power to vote. WebI think Athens had a better government because they created a democracy. 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. What were the strengths and weaknesses of ancient Greece? Socrates did not care for the idea in general, and Aristotle thought it could, within a state, yield new forms of abuse of power. Disadvantages: Limited rainfall. Greek city-states all were very similar but had differences. Athens owes the first penal and civil law code to Draco. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The ancient Greeks were the first to create a democracy. Their job was to oversee the decisions made by the assembly. According to the State of the World Atlas, 44% of the worlds population live in a stable democracy. 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. Even though their government was ran by the people themselves, only the men in the city could vote. This form of government is called direct democracy. 4 What are the advantages and disadvantages of having mountains cover ancient Greece? Unlike the Romans, Athenians had a strict but fair schedule that allowed them to enjoy citizenship equally. 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. But there are some differences between these two power houses. In fact, it adhered to a military oligarchy most of its existence. + PRO: Though harder to find, more affordable options exist. Athens direct democracy had elected officials including ten generals, magistrates, and others (PBS 1). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Still, the city-states of ancient Greece had many things in common. After Pericles died Athens could not defeat Sparta in the Peloponnesian War and also couldnt hold the truce that was signed in 421 BC which allowed Sparta to gain overall victory in the, The Democracy of Athens meant that the people rule themselves. Advantages: Made it hard for enemies to get to Greece, Greeks developed very small, close kit communities, hill top lookouts for invaders. 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. 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. The democracy of Athens developed around 500 B.C.E because of the current uproar of oligarchies and dictatorship. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Athens was full of life and the people living there appreciated all of what others had to offer: arts, music, life, and new cultures. Their members were elected by the people. In all fairness I believe Athens had the better system of government. Ancient Greece was dominated by small city-states and independent towns, rather than by one all-powerful king, because of its geography. The rigidity of the Constitution makes it difficult to amend easily. Amongst those city states Athens and Sparta were two of the most powerful and considered in Greek history as the most influential states to western civilisation. Athens had a geographic advantage because they were very superior. Although, if we look at the Athens, we see that they had no issues with plentiful land, as they possessed large and populous territory. Underline the word or expression in parentheses that best completes each sentence. To have a powerful and lasting empire with great prosperity you must have a series of strong leaders. Moreover, the article provided a perspective that highlighted the differences in Athenian democracy such as that Athens was a direct democracy and that only some of the population was eligible, it mainly created a feeling that Athens was advanced for its time however the system had discrepancies. 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. It does not store any personal data. The assembly in Sparta could veto the councils. Webdirect democracy; indirect democracy; Pericles : Assignment #6 : Sources: reading #1: "The Religion of the Ancient Greeks." By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Advantage: They had access to trade, transportation, fish, and water. The biggest difference between Athenian democracy and almost all other democracies is that the Athenians had a direct democracy rather than being representative. Web3.It made abuse of power complicated, as you could always bring a charge against an official in the peoples assembly. WebOverall, 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. While this advancement occurred. Press ESC to cancel. Altogether there were over 1500 city-states, but some of these barley qualify because they are so small. Advantages: meet outside often, healthy outdoor lifestyle, they had good temperature for farming and prospering, very moderate climate. Spartan. 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. They all spoke the same language and they all believed in the same god. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". This means they may make stupid decisions that do not benefit society. 1 What were the disadvantages of democracy in ancient Greece? Ancient Greece is often credited with being the birthplace of democracy. Not everyone gets to participate. The city-states of Athens and Sparta are the best representatives of democracy and oligarchy, respectively. To begin with Sparta completely discarded all advanced education. Athens was a democratic state that was peaceful and where women were open to culture and democracy. 5 Why is Greece the birthplace of democracy? On the other hand, Sparta had an oligarchy. The biggest difference between Athenian democracy and almost all other democracies is that the Athenians had a direct democracy rather than being representative. In Sparta, Boys were taken from parents at age seven and trained in the art of warfare. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government. These two city-states, Sparta and Athens have unique formations of government, histories, goals, as well as societies. Athenians made it clear that the poor helped build the city 's power and not just the wealthy. Sparta lacked in education, they were too harsh on the children in military training, and the Spartans didnt allow traveling. WebThe advantages of Greeks geography is that they had protection from invaders and some disadvantages were that they had a hard time farming and traveling.