Amazing Ancient Greek Democracy Facts You Probably Didn T Know

Pericles was the most famous Athenian statesman of ancient Greece.Pericles’s name is very important in the history of Athens. Today, democratic regimes are described as the people’s government, by the people, and for the people.Ancient Athens had a democratic political system. The modern world political process has more or less been derived from the ancient world of political equality practiced by Greeks. The political philosophy of the golden era of ancient Greeks forms the basis for the formation of various political institutions in the modern era. All the citizens of city-states of ancient Greece during the democratic regime unanimously brought about various political reforms in the country.Ancient Greece existed from the 12th-9th centuries BC to 600 AD. Ancient Greece comprised linguistically and culturally related city-states and various other territories. The Parthenon located in the acropolis of Athens is a famous temple and is known for its cultural significance and represents the sophistication of the Greeks. Ancient Greece is considered to be the cradle of western civilization and has influenced politics, philosophy, art, and science.Today, democracy is defined as a system of government formulated by the whole population. This population comprises eligible members of a state. Eligible members of the state typically elect their representatives. It is also known as a parliamentary democracy. If states are run by a system of democracies it can be called a multiparty democracy.Do you love Greek culture and are you fascinated by the Greek civilization? If these amazing ancient Greek democracy facts you probably didn’t know interest you, then you have come to the right place!Read on to get interesting information on ancient Greek clothing facts and ancient Greek culture facts here on our website.How did the Greek democracy end?Direct democracy was the basis of governance in city-state regions. Greeks did not implement the democratic method of governance overnight. It was a consequence of various political, social, and economic factors like the Hoplite Phalanx civil war of the mid 7th century BCE, formed by a closed formation of armed soldiers with no political bodies coming from Athenian men like independent farmers, merchants, and artisans groups fighting for power which led to increasing resentment and political obscurity. Then there was the rise of tyranny by some ambitious wealthy nobles with their businesses who protected people’s rights through written law code and redistributed nobles’ lands to the poor, setting up an Athenian politician government through tyranny. This phase eventually led to the culmination of power and self-rule government in the hands of the ordinary person, and thus democratic ideals and direct democracy was born.Ancient Greece used democracy for only two centuries. Cleisthenes, the father of Democracy, gave direct democracy to the world, which would pave the way for representative democracy of the world. Greek democracy was short-lived and ended with the Peloponnesian War in Athens. During this war, Greece was overtaken by the kingdom of Macedonia. This year also marked the famous funeral oration by Pericles, who was an eminent Athenian politician. He delivered the famous funeral oration at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian war. His speech was a part of the annual funeral of the war dead. The war led to the decline of Athenian democracy in the 4th century BC. The system of oligarchy replaced democracy in the year 411 BC. According to Thucydides, this was strategic to win the much-needed support of Persia and protection from the old enemy Sparta. Moreover, Greeks accepted the change in the constitution under the pretext that it would not be permanent.Ancient Greek Government FactsAncient Greeks formulated the basic principles of democracy. The modern concept of democracy is based on the Greek word ‘demokratia’ or democratic concept. Here are some facts on ancient Greek democracy. Democratic ideology served as a bridge between the government and the familiar person. Democracy reduced the rift caused by power struggles in the political arena. The word democracy stands for people-power, and in the Greek language, demos stands for people, and kratos means power.Cleisthenes first established the concept of democracy in Athens in the year 507 BC. He tried to revoke the rule of the aristocrats who monopolized political power based on their wealth. Demokratia facilitated political rights and gave direct involvement to men in the working of the state. Democratic ideology also helped bridge the gap in social and economic reforms in the country. Another interesting fact about ancient Greek democracy is that it was implemented around 2,000 years ago by ancient Greeks.The ancient Greek Democracy was formulated based on three principles: the Assembly or Ekklesia, the Council or Boule, and the Dikasteria or popular courts. The chief governing body or the Ekklesia was formed mainly to pass new laws, vote for treaties or decrees, and elect magistrates to perform legal proceedings. No police force was required for the process. The Ekklesia was held about 40 times annually, and only male citizens could participate in these proceedings of the city’s affairs. The 500 members of the Boule, with at least 50 members from 10 tribes in a particular class, served for one year. Elected officials of the Boule were selected based on the lottery system. The public courts were also known as Dikasteria and significantly contributed to the strength of democracy. The ordinary person could file his case of private disputes, argue on it, and pass judgment on the political trials based on a majority vote.The most important fact of the ancient Greek Democracy was that the council, the assembly, and the official’s democracy formed the staff; Greek citizens were cornerstones of the ancient Greek democracy. The whole system of democracy revolved around ho boulomenos, meaning ‘he who wishes,’ which also referred to the Greek citizen initiator. The whole system of democracy was founded on the ideology of equality. In the direct democracy system of the ancient Greek world, every citizen initiator, irrespective of his class and creed, was given equal social status, and adult male citizens were allowed to vote. However, women, children, slaves, foreigners, and tax defaulters were omitted.Characteristics Of Athenian DemocracyThe ancient Greek democracy had three pillars: the assembly of the demos, the council of 500, and the people’s court. The assembly of the demos refers to the assembly of the entire Greek citizen body. Any male Greek citizen could participate in the democratic body of Athens. During the ancient Greek era, the male Greek citizen population ranged from 30,000 to 60,000. The democratic assembly united at least once a month on the Pnyx hill in a spacious area accommodating around 6,000 citizens. Direct democracy was practiced as each citizen could stand up and speak his word to the assembly, and voting was conducted by simply holding up hands. The majority vote was strategic for decision-making. Around nine presidents were elected from the lot and allowed to hold office for a brief period. They assessed the proceedings of the court for voting.Discussion topics included financial and military training, magistracies, management of food supplies, decisions on signing treaties, distribution of funds, and discussions on military issues. The assembly could also pass votes to ostracize any Greek citizen who had become too powerful to threaten the city state. They practiced complete freedom of speech and adopted laws. The assembly also ensured that they enforced laws and that duties were assessed correctly.A council of 500 Greek citizens was chosen and served for one year and could not serve for more than two consecutive years. The council functioned as an executive committee during the assembly. The people’s court was composed of 6,000 jurors and an organized body of chief magistrates who were chosen on an annual basis.Ancient Greek Democracy vs. Modern Democracy Solon in 594 BC, Cleisthenes (508-507 BC), and Ephialtes in the year 462 BC made a significant impact on the development and advancement of the Athenian democracy. During this era, the Athenian statesman Cleisthenes broke up the unlimited power of the nobility. Greek citizens were organized into 10 groups based on their location rather than based on their possession and wealth.Ancient Greeks set up democracy in the 5th century BCE, and it consisted of assemblies and courts. These courts were staffed by Greek citizens over the age of 18 years. Ancient Greece was made up of a handful of cities which formulated the Athenian government to resolve an issue within these communities. All Greek citizens (male and free) were allowed to participate, while in a modern democracy, both men and women vote. In the ancient Greek democracy, each person’s vote counted, similar to the modern democratic government vote. The ancient Greek democracy was more direct, and the majority ruled. The modern democracy is more or less a representative democracy where officials meet and make laws.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ancient Greek democracy facts then why not take a look at ancient Greek food facts or ancient Greek temples facts.

Pericles was the most famous Athenian statesman of ancient Greece.