advantages and disadvantages of democracy in ancient greece advantages and disadvantages of democracy in ancient greece

Absolutism was characterized by the ending of feudal partitioning, consolidation of power with the monarch, rise of state, rise of professional standing armies, professional bureaucracies, the codification of state laws, and the rise of ideologies that justify the absolutist monarchy. Ancient Greece was dominated by small city-states and independent towns, rather than by one all-powerful king, because of its geography. Athens had a geographic advantage because they were very superior. It had a place in the way the people of ancient times governed their lives. Democracy in Ancient Greece was very direct. The rise and fall of this great nation has to do with war-fare and the conflict between city-states. 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, 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. Due to the geographical disadvantages of grease The civilization was divided into many city-states instead of having one main government. For a long time, historians have kept this question in mind while studying laws and methods of the Ancient Athenians. 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. 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. Athens and Sparta were two of the most powerful and well known cities among all the Greek nations. 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. Athens was the warm welcoming city-state in Ancient Greece, most unlike the horrific neighboring city-state, Sparta. 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. Due to the geographical disadvantages of grease The civilization was divided into many city-states instead of having one main government. As I will come to. One of the biggest weaknesses of Athenian democracy was highlighted by Plato; the masses are sometimes ignorant, and they are likely to be swayed by rhetoric. Draco organized laws by putting them in a written code, letting everyone know what the laws were and, The name comes from demos-people and kratos-power, so literally power of the people. The history of Ancient Athens dates back to 6,000 years ago. Athens, on the other hand, was a democracy after periods of monarchies and aristocracies. In addition to simply being a peninsula, Greeces coastline has many accessible harbor locations. Some people believe they were more democratic than us today, but I think they were never a true democratic government. A Spartan's life was centered on the state, because he lived and died to serve the state. (Figure 2). One reason why Athens had a greater respect for human rights is that they had a direct democracy, while Sparta had an oligarchy. 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. Differences : Advantages And Disadvantages Of Athens And Sparta, Athens and Sparta are the two famous city-states in Ancient Greece. 6 What is the original meaning of democracy? The first one is Document A: Pericles and the other one is Document B: The The Athenian Constitution. 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. Many people were disenfranchised. Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. Press ESC to cancel. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. What are the advantages and disadvantages of ancient Greece? The rigidity of the Constitution makes it difficult to amend easily. Athenians elected government officials through lot (Document B). What were the advantages and disadvantages of the city-state form of government? This horrible plague killed the Athenian leader Pericles along with many other Athenians, which took a huge toll on their morale. When the two words are put together it forms , meaning rule of the people. 7 What are the limitations of a majority rule democracy? Sparta was cruel, disgusting, and uninviting each day would be a struggle to survive. 1 What were the disadvantages of democracy in ancient Greece? 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. if the majority of the citizens didn't like the ideas of a single citizen they were to be banished or killed. In a democracy all of the people are able to vote, and have a choice on who runs their city. 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. They were only given a cloak - no shoes or other clothes, and not enough food so they had to steal (to learn survival skills). Monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy and democracy were all forms of government found at different times and in different city-states in Ancient Greece. The period of prosperity in Athens was so short lived because they only had one strong leader, Pericles. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Although, if we look at the Athens, we see that they had no issues with plentiful land, as they possessed large and populous territory. During that year, they were responsible for making new laws and controlled all parts of the political process. This society came to be known as one of the largest nations in Eurasia. The city-state of Athens, 5th century Athens to be precise, is the inventor and first practitioner of democracy. 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. When you look at the literal definition of democracy in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there is a decently large explanation. Having good harbors and water access is good for trade, and trade brings economic stability. reading #2: "Greek Art." They took politics very seriously and made sure that everyone had a voiced opinion. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. 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. These reasons include Pericles rise to power, the different members of government and their powers, and the changes in the idea of a democracy. They became skilled sailors. This is one reason Ancient Athens was not a democracy. Those 500 citizens had to actively serve in the government for one year. Disadvantages: Limited rainfall. What were some geographic advantages the ancient Greeks had? Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The mountains also make communication from city to city slow. Greece was organized into many different city-states. Hard work and equality is what makes a nation outstanding. 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. Disadvantages: takes more time to make decisions, more costly. WebThus, the tyrants of the Archaic age of ancient Greece ( c. 900500 bce )Cypselus, Cleisthenes, Peisistratus, and Polycrates were popular, presiding as they did over an era of prosperity and expansion. Athens direct democracy had elected officials including ten generals, magistrates, and others (PBS 1). The first reason is because Our constitution favors many instead of the few, this is also why it's called a democracy. WebAdvantages And Disadvantages Of Athens Democracy characterized in terms of unlimited political power anymore as it has transformed to a more citizen-friendly government. If they did not fulfill their duty they would be fined and sometimes marked with red paint. Such abundance of water makes Ancient Greece good in fishing and trade. The Athenian democracy, while it did give more power to the people, still left a lot of citizens out. 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. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Advantages: small, easy to control, centralized. 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. Their members were elected by the people. But there are some differences between these two power houses. Athens was also referred to as the birthplace of democracy, a government system still in use today! Sparta also has a great military strength, it is much better than Athens military because the men go to war at the age of 7-30. Democracy (disadvantage) Only the elite or upper class had a role in government, lower class not represented. Not everyone gets to participate. 4 What are the advantages of the ancient Greek system? The Athenians were stronger because they had a better geography, government, cultural achievements, and I would rather live in the Athens. During the times of Ancient Greece, two major forms of government existed, democracy and oligarchy. It showed him that his taxicab driver lacked knowledge of past history and basically judged a book by its cover. It may not be able to serve the needs of an emergency situation. Both Athens and Sparta hold historic value for Greece and the world. Why Ancient Athens is better than Sparta? Prior to Athenian democracy, a few people would make decisions for the masses. What is democracy? When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. 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. Oligarchy (disadvantage) Over time, middle/lower classes realized they still had little to no say in government Tyranny (disadvantage), Start studying advantages and disadvantages of government in ancient greece. They had two kings who controlled the army and religions of Sparta. 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. 2 What were the limitations of the ancient Greeks? One of the most famous civilizations lies between three seas, the Aegean Sea, Sea of Crete, and the Ionian Sea. Athens original government was a monarchy ruled by one king, however, the king's influence began to diminish with the changing times and soon Athens was under the rule of an oligarchy. This caused some to view them with hostility which sparked the conflicts between Athens and Sparta that lead to the Peloponnesian War. Establishing government is one of the most important inventions develop human beings. By our understanding it was an oligarchy, not democracy. The Athenians were stronger because they had a better geography, government, cultural achievements, and I would rather live in the Athens. Athens on the contrary, was a city that focused heavily on the arts and was a very relaxed and peaceful city to live in. The Constitution represents the value and principles of democracy and republicanism by stressing liberty and inalienable rights as central values, making the people as a whole sovereign, rejecting inherited political power, expecting citizens to be independent in their performance of civic duties, and vilifies corruption. For example, if youre poor youre still able to serve the state or be part of the government. The biggest advantage of democracy in polis was the general possibility of taking part in public life for all free citizens. The government was also corrupted and dominated by the elite of the city-state. Sparta and Athens were different in their values, politics, and societies. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. There was a constant importance of acknowledging all citizens hard work and participation. What did ancient Greece do for democracy? What are some pros and cons of Spartan society? 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. By the time one enters the third grade they become aware of concept of democracy. This excluded a majority of the population: slaves, freed slaves, children, women and metics (foreign residents in Athens). 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. Demo, meaning the people, and kratia meaning the power or rule. Sparta advantage. 3 What were the strengths and weaknesses of ancient Greece? + PRO: Though harder to find, more affordable options exist. The Athenians were stronger because they had a better geography, government, cultural achievements, and I would rather live in the Athens. It also means its citizens come first in order of importance. Along with the Aetolians, they invaded the Peloponnesus from across the Corinthian Gulf (Halsall, 1999). Web 2.0 has revolutionized the panorama of the information society: users have become information creators and the new web platforms have become relationship venues where new knowledge and ideas emerge. 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. The Athenian Democracy remains a novel and captivating analysis in direct majority rules system where the general population don 't choose delegates to vote for their sake yet vote on enactment and official bills in their own privilege. The Athenian democracy, while it did give more power to the people, still left a lot of citizens out. The ancient civilization of Greece contained many different city-states; two of these city-states were Sparta and Athens. Each year 500 names were chosen from all the citizens of ancient Athens. What was the disadvantage of democracy in ancient Greece? Established on September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution established Americas national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed rights for its citizens. Disadvantages: controlled little territory, many rivals/more conflict. Athens offered many activities for all men, women, and children. Thus, a key part of democracy is that the people have a voice. Apart from many smaller changes, it was mainly based on the opportunity for all citizens over 20 to take part in governing the country. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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. The Spartan men get more and children become great warriors because they at war and war training for 23 years. When a new law was proposed, all the citizens of Athens had the opportunity to vote on it. 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. Democracy is a form of government in which power lies with the people. Every city-state had their own coins, government, and laws. Climate was varied but moderate, with temperature between 48 degrees Fahrenheit in winter and 80 degrees Fahrenheit in summer.