advantages and disadvantages of democracy in ancient greece

The ancient Greeks believed that each city-state had one or two gods keeping a special eye on that city-state. This is one reason Ancient Athens was not a democracy. When women were forced to produce offspring, many of the weak babies were left to die. Athens was a small city compared to Rome that honored and protected citizenship. By 508 BCE, Cleisthenes came to power in Athens and creates a democratic constitution of all people. What are the advantages and disadvantages of ancient Greece? This is the great story of Ancient Greece and how individualism changed the view Greece had on certain issues. 5 What are the disadvantages of Constitution? Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Their members were elected by the people. They also had a council of five hundred. Sparta, it appears, had fewer changes to government over time as compared to Athens. If they did not fulfill their duty they would be fined and sometimes marked with red paint. The Athenian definition of citizens was also different from modern-day citizens: only free men were considered citizens in Athens. The difference in land as well as population perceives a relative historical comparison. 6 What were the advantages and disadvantages of the city-state form of government? Who was not allowed to become a citizen of Greece? 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. Two of the most well known and powerful city-states were Sparta and Athens. 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. This caused some to view them with hostility which sparked the conflicts between Athens and Sparta that lead to the Peloponnesian War. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. 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). With this came many different governments for each city-state causing each city-state to have a different View On their morals. Aristotle once said, The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. Athens was established in 3000 BC, while Sparta was respectively established in 431 BC. Tenant farmer Person who pays rent, either in money or crops, to grow crops on another person's land Metic Foreigner in a Greek city-state, often a merchant or artisan Slavery What was the disadvantage of tyranny in ancient Greece? Questions/ Activities: Do reading #1 and answer these questions: * Make a list of the major characteristics/beliefs of the religion of the ancient Greeks. However, in Athens, girls did not receive an education like the boys in Athen did but, instead, were expected to become housewives. The Constitution also represents the value and principles of democracy and republicanism that the United States of American stands by. 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 are the advantages of the ancient Greek system? 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. The Greek divine beings were Its population was over five times as great as the other small city-states. The first one is Document A: Pericles and the other one is Document B: The The Athenian Constitution. The assembly met on the hill of the Pnyx to make these important decisions. 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. This means that the people of the said community can either rule directly or indirectly by electing officials to make decisions for the betterment of the people. Due to the fact that Sparta had a very military lifestyle, they were good at raising strong outspoken women in a society where women were kept at home. Those 500 citizens had to actively serve in the government for one year. 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 government is a democracy which means all citizens get to take part. (Document B): The second reason is that if the court decides that someone has no right to be enrolled as a citizen he becomes. Some people believe they were more democratic than us today, but I think they were never a true democratic government. The Spartan men get more and children become great warriors because they at war and war training for 23 years. Democracy (disadvantage) Few people were considered citizens and had a voice in government. Underline the word or expression in parentheses that best completes each sentence. 1 What were the advantages and disadvantages of Greece? In a democracy all of the people are able to vote, and have a choice on who runs their city. What is democracy? Both of these city-states shared similar characteristics such as both would remain the foundation for the Greek political world. Democracy in ancient Greece served as one of the first forms of self-rule government in the ancient world. Women, children, and slaves were not considered citizens and therefore could not vote. What is the formula for calculating solute potential? Due to the geographical disadvantages of grease The civilization was divided into many city-states instead of having one main government. It was possible to prolong the rule for the next term but in case of any abnormalities a quick change of government took place. When a new law was proposed, all the citizens of Athens had the opportunity to vote on it. In addition to simply being a peninsula, Greeces coastline has many accessible harbor locations. Children were tortured to become strongerand all men would be fighting and stealing things just to survive. WebAdvantages And Disadvantages Of Athens Democracy characterized in terms of unlimited political power anymore as it has transformed to a more citizen-friendly government. The rule of the people is the definition of Democracy. Advantages: protects individual rights, input is taken from many different sources to make a governmental decision, people are the government. 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. In fact, there were internal struggles and disagreements. Its also said that Sparta is the foundation for the governments we now have in the world. Hard work and equality is what makes a nation outstanding. Athens was more inviting and had many more fun things to do, which is why Athens is a better place to live. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Limits of Greek Democracy Socrates (469-399 BCE) and Aristotle (384-322 BCE), two of the most influential of the ancient Greek philosophers, were suspicious of the idea of equality. For instance the way that these cities were governed and their political procedures and functions were quite different from each other. This means that the Constitution regards to the American citizen as something that is held to deserve meaning the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. Alexis de Tocqueville penned Democracy in America after he spent month America in the 1831, where he witnessed a new democratic system. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. This means a lot more people got to attend political affairs. National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. Advantage: They had access to trade, transportation, fish, and water. There was a thriving city. What were the strengths and weaknesses of ancient Greece? What were the advantages and disadvantages of the city-state model of government in Greece? The Athens also got to abolish politicians they did not like. The geography of the region helped to shape the government and culture of the Ancient Greeks. To begin with Sparta completely discarded all advanced education. 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. 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. But there are some differences between these two power houses. By the time one enters the third grade they become aware of concept of democracy. If they did not fulfill their duty they would be fined and sometimes marked with red paint. Their division led to the widespread of language and culture. They are just more carful. Why was logical and public speaking emphasized more in Athens than any other city-state? On the other hand, direct democracy is not a good chose for America. City-state is an independent or nearly independent state in which political and cultural activities are concentrated in a single urban center (Legon). 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. 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. 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. The period of prosperity in Athens was so short lived because they only had one strong leader, Pericles. 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. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, democracy can simply be defined as the government of the people, but lately it seems as if that definition has become invalid. Democracy is the modern day standard for governmental systems. They all spoke the same language and they all believed in the same god. The most important city-states of Ancient Greece was Sparta and Athens. Therefore, they could easily make decisions. Altogether there were over 1500 city-states, but some of these barley qualify because they are so small. First of all, the economy was very strong in Athens. Unfortunately, the assembly was open to all citizens except women. How to Market Your Business with Webinars? The Role Of Democracy In Ancient Greece. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. There was a constant importance of acknowledging all citizens hard work and participation. This article was useful to my essay as it provided detailed information on the gaps in Athenian democracy. The concept of leadership was prevalent in the ancient world. In America today, democracy is something we take pride in. Some farmers in archaic and classic Greece werent choosing which crops to plant based on local nutritional needs. The city-state of Athens, 5th century Athens to be precise, is the inventor and first practitioner of democracy. Advantages: Made it hard for enemies to get to Greece, Greeks developed very small, close kit communities, hill top lookouts for invaders. Geography had an enormous impact on the ancient Greek civilization. The city of Athens was named after their special goddess. What were some geographic advantages the ancient Greeks had? 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. From the system of creating new laws to the checks and balances that define the American government. What was the disadvantage of democracy in ancient Greece? Although, if we look at the Athens, we see that they had no issues with plentiful land, as they possessed large and populous territory. The two biggest city-states have always had issues. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Since the Spartans were only concerned with being great warriors, the Athenians became the cultural center of Greece during the Hellenic period. Greece is also quite mountainous. 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. 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. A source that shares this view is the Ted-Ed video this also similarly to historian Paul Cartledge states that Athens was a direct democracy and also that not all of the population had the right to. On the other hand, Sparta had an oligarchy. Their government was Demokratia, and this excluded the women, the children, the metics, and the slaves. Each city-state had its own form of government and its own army, and even sometimes its own navy. WebAdvantages And Disadvantages Of Democracy. Athens had a geographic advantage because they were very superior. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Disadvantages: controlled little territory, many rivals/more conflict. Greece, and especially Athens, is the cradle of democracy in the western civilization. In many scientific or philosophical words derived from Greek, the letter kkk is used to spell the kkk sound, as in skeptical and kleptomania. 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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. Thus, a key part of democracy is that the people have a voice. WebI think Athens had a better government because they created a democracy. The ancient civilization of Greece contained many different city-states; two of these city-states were Sparta and Athens. What were the disadvantages of democracy in ancient Greece? Being the birthplace of democracy gives Ancient Greece a very important reputation. Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. Unlike Sparta, who has an oligarchy, monarchy, and democracy. Athens on the contrary, was a city that focused heavily on the arts and was a very relaxed and peaceful city to live in. What did ancient Greece do for democracy? 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Sparta lacked in education, they were too harsh on the children in military training, and the Spartans didnt allow traveling. 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 Athenian democracy was not equitable, and it did not consider slaves and foreigners. These factors empowered Sparta and led to the development of an authoritative and potent state. What are the pros and cons of Athenian society? Athenians were the most scholarly types while the Spartans were more of the military type. Pros: Many Tyrants ruled well and helped poor families by cancelling the debts of poor farmers. Spartan. She or he will best know the preferred format. This limits the majoritys right to rule. 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. One of the most famous civilizations lies between three seas, the Aegean Sea, Sea of Crete, and the Ionian Sea. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Democracy is now prescribed as inseparable from good governance and an antidote to corruption. Sparta is far better than Athens on the grounds that their armed force was strong and defensive. They were only given a cloak - no shoes or other clothes, and not enough food so they had to steal (to learn survival skills). How do these two city-states differ? The ancient civilization of Greece contained many different city-states; two of these city-states were Sparta and Athens. 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? Originally Answered: why is Athens Greece considered the birthplace of democracy? (Figure 2). It was the oligarchy in Sparta that put a war-like attitude as its first priority and best met the needs of Ancient Greece. Because of this, Athens cannot be considered democratic. Sparta and Athens were different in their values, politics, and societies. WebDemocracy (advantage) Allowed more points of view to make decisions because a small group was in chargenot a single person. As a system to control a state or community, government serves for citizens and put them first. What this means is that all the citizens voted on all the laws. So that is why I conclude that ancient Athens was indeed not truly. Specifically in America, one is taught that they live in a democratic society. some might say the Romans were better. 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. This means they may make stupid decisions that do not benefit society. 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. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Athens? Two of the biggest city-states were Athens and Sparta. 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. Spartas kings ruled until death or forcibly removed from office. Athenian democracy also had one-year term limits. Athenians elected government officials through lot (Document B). The Athenians valued their political freedom and free thought. The assembly in Sparta could veto the councils. In the period known as classical Greece in the years 800-323 BCE, Greece comprised of small city states (poleis) which were considered and operated as independent small countries. 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. What are the limitations of a majority rule democracy? Secondly, Giovanni Sartori (1997), a Political Science Researcher states that democracy is an abbreviation that means Liberal Democracy. This will only lead to a shift to the left of aggregate demand and is it impossible for the people to pay taxes when the living standards is low. Government failure is a term to describe how government intervention can cause its own problems. WebThe common man, woman and children were considered subjects, who had no say in how the land was governed or any of the policies that were implemented. Beginning with contrasts in government, Sparta, was an Oligarchy where most of the power was shared between two kings. They are also carful with who can be a citizen rather then "stingy". How did geographic barriers affect Shang and Zhou relations with outside peoples? 8 What was the government like in ancient Greece? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. To vote, citizens had to attend the assembly on the day the vote took place. They did have officials to run the government, however. While both Athenian and Roman form of democracy was a major step away from autocratic rule, but they both had their drawbacks. A body of land that has water on three sides, A narrow strip of land that connects two bodies of land, A peninsula; the southern portion of Greece, The Balkan peninsula, connected to other parts of Europe to the north, Elements of a Story and Plot : Base Literary, advantages and disadvantages of government in, Unit 2: Renaissance and Reformation Vocabulary, Of Mice and Men: Chapter 5 & 6 Review Project, Disadvantages and Advantages of Japan's Locat, Dahia Ibo Shabaka, Larry S. Krieger, Linda Black, Phillip C. Naylor, Roger B. Beck, PT600 - SysPath - Pathologies of Endocrine Sy. The assembly passed laws and made policy decisions (PBS 1). Women could own property. Slavery No pay labor 6%of the population had a right in democratic matters. Athens was a democratic state that was peaceful and where women were open to culture and democracy. Tyranny (disadvantage) Not a guarantee that the people chosen by lottery would make effective government decisions. In ancient Athens, democracy was about aggregating, aligning and codifying useful knowledge. 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. 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. The city-states of Athens and Sparta are the best representatives of democracy and oligarchy, respectively. What are some pros and cons of Spartan society? These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. A belief in shared power: based on a suspicion of concentrated power (whether by individuals, groups or governments). if the majority of the citizens didn't like the ideas of a single citizen they were to be banished or killed. Mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. What was the limits of democracy in ancient Greece? In Athen, Schools taught reading, writing, and mathematics, music, poetry, sport, and gymnastics. They took politics very seriously and made sure that everyone had a voiced opinion. As I will come to. Overall, 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. This is because of Athenian cultural achievements, government and social climate. For example, if youre poor youre still able to serve the state or be part of the government. 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. Sparta lacked land area and was forced to seek other land in the fertile plain of Messenia. Also, everyone is allowed to practice a religion of their choice. Ancient Athens, had a much more stronger basis than ancient Sparta. I do not believe that in the 4th to 5th century BCE ancient Athen were democratic for many reasons. Greece was organized into many different city-states. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Metic. They could veto law proposals or rulings made by the council or assembly (PBS 1). 6 What are the pros and cons of democracy in ancient Greece? Oligarchy (advantage) If the leader is strong/effective, the civilization is in good shape. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The Athens lived by the Sea which was an advantage because they had an excellent trading system. They used to stay in caves located near the sea and their main occupations were hunting, fishing, farming and later on they started sailing and making pots. (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. The mountains also make communication from city to city slow. The first reason is because Our constitution favors many instead of the few, this is also why it's called a democracy. I have come to this conclusion that Athens had a better system because anyone could office and they had more equal rights as a citizen in the government. What are the pros and cons of tyranny in ancient Greece?

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