In fact, there were internal struggles and disagreements. This is why we give the ebook compilations in contribution to our knowledge of ancient Greece--its politics, philosophy, and literature, from Homer to Plato. Athens is the symbol of freedom, art, and democracy in the conscience of the civilized world. They took politics very seriously and made sure that everyone had a voiced opinion. Establishing government is one of the most important inventions develop human beings. + PRO: Though harder to find, more affordable options exist. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. I believe that ancient Athens was not a true democracy. Why was the Athenian form of democracy a contradiction? This group of people only included white male citizens, meaning that slaves, foreign born residents, women and some men who hadnt obtained citizenship couldnt vote (Doc D). What were the disadvantages of democracy in ancient Greece? Thus, a key part of democracy is that the people have a voice. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. In 594 BCE, Salon, the new leader of Athens, he created a constitution that ended the political control of the wealthy. One that originates from ancient Greece, at the cradle of civilisation.The word democracy comes from the Greek meaning the people and meaning power or rule. Give me balance, give me equality. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. During the times of Ancient Greece, two major forms of government existed, democracy and oligarchy. Athens on the other hand had a democracy as stated in Document 3, an excerpt from Funeral Orations by Pericles a quotes from this excerpt states it is true that our government is a democracy, because its administration is in the hands, not of the few, but of many.. This quote clearly states that the type of government Athens has is a, Athens is superior towards Sparta throughout ancient Greek history. Australia and New Zealand followed not long after as they began to use the secret ballot system to elect political leaders. Now a new paper deems it also the proud parent of the worlds first market economy. The purpose of this essay is to prove that ancient Greece wasnt truly democratic. Government failure. 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. The United States has a representative democracy. This meant that they may not have represented mass opinion, whereas getting all males over the age of 18 involved in politics increased the likelihood of policies representing what people wanted. Advantages: small, easy to control, centralized. Democracy. What was one advantage in the Greek world? What is the original meaning of democracy? This excluded a majority of the population: slaves, freed slaves, children, women and metics (foreign residents in Athens). Having good harbors and water access is good for trade, and trade brings economic stability. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Their members were elected by the people. 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. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. This information provided significantly when comparing modern societies to ancient Greece and also in justify as to why democracy was significant to Greece. 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. They were the main city with an area of land around them. Athens was renowned as a center of wisdom and learning. First of all, the economy was very strong in Athens. The Athenians valued their political freedom and free thought. The rule of the people is the definition of Democracy. It was easy for the Athenians to see who the people are due to the population number at the time. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Their division led to the widespread of language and culture. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In Ancient Athens, a new system arose that would greatly impact the course of history. When looking at this definition and trying to decide whether the Athenian democratic system was truly democratic, one would have to go with the answer no. The Spartan government is made up of kings and elders only. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. The democracy of Athens developed around 500 B.C.E because of the current uproar of oligarchies and dictatorship. Athens was a small city compared to Rome that honored and protected citizenship. While Athens was a democracy, Sparta was an oligarchy, which means ruled by few powerful and wealthy people. They did have officials to run the government, however. One of the most famous civilizations lies between three seas, the Aegean Sea, Sea of Crete, and the Ionian Sea. Democracy (disadvantage) Few people were considered citizens and had a voice in government. But there are some differences between these two power houses. Athens and Sparta were two of the most powerful and well known cities among all the Greek nations. From the system of creating new laws to the checks and balances that define the American government. Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. Women could own property. Due to the geographical disadvantages of grease The civilization was divided into many city-states instead of having one main government. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. reading #2: "Greek Art." 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. Advantages: Made it hard for enemies to get to Greece, Greeks developed very small, close kit communities, hill top lookouts for invaders. Advantages: Made it hard for enemies to get to Greece, Greeks developed very small, close kit communities, hill top lookouts for invaders. The term, Democracy, stems from the Greek word demokratia which means rule by the people and it wasnt until around 500 BCE in Athens where the first examples of democracy originated. Monarchy (advantage) Middle class realized that they could make changes (leads to democracy) Tyranny (advantage) If they did not fulfill their duty they would be fined and sometimes marked with red paint. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It seems fair and gives equality to all regardless of social class. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 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. 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 reason why Takaki tells us the story of his interaction with the taxi cab driver is because the driver assumed since he was not white, that he was not American. 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. Strong land army, protection. The main disadvantage for the Athenians was that around 430 BCE, a plague struck Athens. Since the Spartans were only concerned with being great warriors, the Athenians became the cultural center of Greece during the Hellenic period. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Ancient Greece was comprised of small city-states, of which Sparta and Athens were two. Two of the most well known and powerful city-states were Sparta and Athens. National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. In ancient Athens, democracy was about aggregating, aligning and codifying useful knowledge. 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 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. Sparta is far better than Athens on the grounds that their armed force was strong and defensive. For example, here in the United states which is a democracy, everyone is allowed to vote and have land. The most common governments in the city-states consisted of monarchies, oligarchies, dictatorships, and sometimes democracies. In Athens, the ruler Draco tried to make many reforms in the city state. The different city states had their own ideas on social control and values in their government. 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. WebDemocracy (advantage) Allowed more points of view to make decisions because a small group was in chargenot a single person. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. Athens had a geographic advantage because they were very superior. Disadvantages: takes more time to make decisions, more costly. Be developed in ancient Greece, Direct Democracy helped ancient Greece make tons of achievements in different fields; also laid the fundamental of western political system of modern time. Although the seed was planted in the 1600s, liberal democracy only properly took form in the 1840s in Canada. (Bulliet 99) From 1000 B.C.E to 30 B.C.E, Ancient Greeces view on individualism changed the political system Greece had, over time changed the way individuals thought and made important Intellectual changes, and gradually changed the Economic system such as bartering. Although, if we look at the Athens, we see that they had no issues with plentiful land, as they possessed large and populous territory. In document A, I found that is truly democratic because your social class is not allowed the interfere with someone 's merit. Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. 4 What are the advantages of the ancient Greek system? What were some geographic advantages the ancient Greeks had? Secondly, Giovanni Sartori (1997), a Political Science Researcher states that democracy is an abbreviation that means Liberal Democracy. The assembly in Sparta could veto the councils. Each year 500 names were chosen from all the citizens of ancient Athens. The two biggest city-states have always had issues. What was the disadvantage of tyranny in ancient Greece? Hence, Absolutism was made possible by new innovations and characterized as a phenomenon of Early Modern Europe, rather than that of the middle Ages, where the clergy and nobility counterbalanced as a result of mutual. The biggest difference between Athenian democracy and almost all other democracies is that the Athenians had a direct democracy rather than being representative. It is a powerful word. This article was useful to my essay as it provided detailed information on the gaps in Athenian democracy. Its also said that Sparta is the foundation for the governments we now have in the world. Sparta and Athens were different in their values, politics, and societies. What are the pros and cons of democracy in ancient Greece? The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. What was the government like in ancient Greece? These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Disadvantage: Unpredictable sea, need boats to travel. 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. In fact, it adhered to a military oligarchy most of its existence. Athens was a democratic state that was peaceful and where women were open to culture and democracy. Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society. On the other hand, direct democracy is not a good chose for America. Both of these city-states shared similar characteristics such as both would remain the foundation for the Greek political world. Athens was the largest polis in Greece. Slavery. Democracy is a form of government in which power lies with the people. Because of this, Athens cannot be considered democratic. Tyranny (disadvantage) Not a guarantee that the people chosen by lottery would make effective government decisions. Advantages: protects individual rights, input is taken from many different sources to make a governmental decision, people are the government. One of the many states of Greece, ancient Athens, was indeed not truly democratic as a result of not even using the essentials of democracy that is used today, Thus, by our standards, it was oligarchy, not democracy.(Document D), therefore ancient Athens was not using democracy as their form of government, they were using oligarchy,another form of government in which a small group of people has power and control, as their form of government instead of democracy. Democracy is now prescribed as inseparable from good governance and an antidote to corruption. The history of Ancient Athens dates back to 6,000 years ago. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. They also had five overseers who were elected to do regular every-day operations of Sparta. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Sparta was cruel, disgusting, and uninviting each day would be a struggle to survive. They became skilled sailors. Possibly could make faster decisions. On the other hand, Sparta had an oligarchy. In addition to simply being a peninsula, Greeces coastline has many accessible harbor locations. So that is why I conclude that ancient Athens was indeed not truly. The system and ideas employed by the ancient Greeks had profound influences on how democracy developed, and its impact on the formation of the U.S. government. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Commercial Photography: How To Get The Right Shots And Be Successful, Nikon Coolpix P510 Review: Helps You Take Cool Snaps, 15 Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for your Android Marshmallow, Technological Advancements: How Technology Has Changed Our Lives (In A Bad Way), 15 Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for your Android Lollipop, Awe-Inspiring Android Apps Fabulous Five, IM Graphics Plugin Review: You Dont Need A Graphic Designer, 20 Best free fitness apps for Android devices. What are some pros and cons of Spartan society? They had two kings who controlled the army and religions of Sparta. Athens was the warm welcoming city-state in Ancient Greece, most unlike the horrific neighboring city-state, Sparta. This completely contradicts the all-inclusive concept of direct democracy that the Athenian government preached so frequently. However, they choose the candidates based on the (1)facades they create, which causes the people to become (2)distorted by their seemingly noble intentions. The answers given may be; a society where everyone votes, or by dictionary definition a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of the state; typically through elected representation. However when analyzing the etymology of the word democracy we come to find out that demos means the people and kratia means rule or power in greek. Athens owes the first penal and civil law code to Draco. Greek city-states all were very similar but had differences. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Democracy is the modern day standard for governmental systems. The Athenian democracy, while it did give more power to the people, still left a lot of citizens out. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. According to Peter Joyce (2005), the democratic government was initiated in the Greek city state of Athens in the fifth century B.C., so as a consequence, the word democracy derived from two Greek words, demos (meaning people) and kratos (meaning power) , which means government by the people. The Athenian definition of citizens was also different from modern-day citizens: only free men were considered citizens in Athens. When asking what is democracy, the answer is never truly defiente. Athenians made it clear that the poor helped build the city 's power and not just the wealthy. In ancient Greece, demokratia, otherwise known as democracy can be battered down into demo, and kratia. In blues, certain "flattened" notes create the (allusion, illusion) of a human voice. Sparta lacked land area and was forced to seek other land in the fertile plain of Messenia. The focus of the times was directed towards military capabilities, while the Athenians were more interested in comfort and culture. Pros And Cons of Ancient Athenian Democracy and Pros and Cons of American Democracy. (Section 2.3) 2 As the culture center of Greek, Athens had many advantages during the Gold Age. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Many people were disenfranchised. During 750-500 B.C.E, Ancient Greece is a place that is known for some city-states, called poleis. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Athens strengths included its large size, large trireme navy, wealth, and democratic government. The term, Democracy, stems from the Greek word demokratia which means rule by the people and it wasnt until around 500 BCE in Athens where the first examples of democracy originated. The geography of the region helped to shape the government and culture of the Ancient Greeks. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. While Athens seems to only have a democracy. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Additionally, the water access provides a stable fishing ground to provide food to people. Pros. 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. How to Market Your Business with Webinars? By 508 BCE, Cleisthenes came to power in Athens and creates a democratic constitution of all people. Use this knowledge to correct the spelling errors below. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The community showed little cohesion as a group. Two of the most well known and powerful city-states were Sparta and Athens. The assembly passed laws and made policy decisions (PBS 1). Sparta, it appears, had fewer changes to government over time as compared to Athens. 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. To have a powerful and lasting empire with great prosperity you must have a series of strong leaders. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Even though their government was ran by the people themselves, only the men in the city could vote. Some of the strengths of Athenian democracy include making decisions based on the opinions of many rather than a few, giving responsibility to more citizens and making records available for public examination. Differences : Advantages And Disadvantages Of Athens And Sparta, Athens and Sparta are the two famous city-states in Ancient Greece. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. State of the art architecture. The mountains make trade within Greeces borders difficult. What were the limitations of the ancient Greeks? Athens is said to be the of democracy. The first reason is because Our constitution favors many instead of the few, this is also why it's called a democracy. Weaknesses of the Athenian democracy include: The Athenian form of democracy was a contradiction in the sense that it did not allow participation of a large section of the public, namely, women and slaves. What is democracy? Athens also had much more trading power, and controlled more land than Sparta. Athens direct democracy had elected officials including ten generals, magistrates, and others (PBS 1). Athens is more superior than Sparta through, government, economy, and culture. The biggest advantage of democracy in polis was the general possibility of taking part in public life for all free citizens. WebThe Threshold Of Democracy Athens In 403 B C Reacting To The Past When people should go to the ebook stores, search foundation by shop, shelf by shelf, it is really problematic. The Athens lived by the Sea which was an advantage because they had an excellent trading system. Those 500 citizens had to actively serve in the government for one year. Adversely, it is not a social norm to ask yourself why this system is in place, or if it is truly what man hungers for? What are the pros and cons of Athenian society? For example, if youre poor youre still able to serve the state or be part of the government. Sparta and Athens are very different from the way they are administered as well as their practices. Each city-state had its own way of doing things. City-state is an independent or nearly independent state in which political and cultural activities are concentrated in a single urban center (Legon). The most important city-states of Ancient Greece was Sparta and Athens. 6 What are the pros and cons of democracy in ancient Greece? One of the main advantages of Athenian democracy was that the archon and his eight assistants were elected annually. WebGreece's victory ensured the independence and security of the Greek city-states, so that Greece continued to dominate the eastern Mediterranean for centuries, which is known as Gold Age. Apart from many smaller changes, it was mainly based on the opportunity for all citizens over 20 to take part in governing the country. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. How do I choose between my boyfriend and my best friend? Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state. In 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. Self- Government/Democracy: "Rule by the people." What are the disadvantages of having government? Moreover, addressing the 11 million undocumented immigrants, I strongly believe that the United States should allow the immigrants to continuously live in the United States under some conditions.