Transcript Athenian Democracy

Democracy 101
What is it good for?
Overview
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Athenian Democracy
The Virtues of Ruling
Republic or Democracy?
Overview
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Basic Definition
Key Features/Questions
Critiques
Ancient Greece
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Greece is a loose collection of individual
city/states
That is, the primary political affiliation for
people is to the city in which they live
The main political rivalry driving politics
within the city was that rivalry between the
rich and poor
Ancient Greece
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The main political rivalry within the Greek
cities was that between Athens and Sparta
The other political threat they faced was
that between the Greeks and the
“barbarians” (anyone not Greek,
particularly the Persians to the north)
Definition
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Democracy
derives from the
ancient Greek,
“demokratia”:
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demos = the
people
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kratien = to
rule
Definition
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Meant to distinguish the idea that it is the
people collectively, not any class, family, or
group that rules
Definition
Other types of government derived from
Greek base:
Aristocracy: Rule by the best
Monarchy:
Rule by one person
Oligarchy:
Rule by the wealthy
Timocracy:
Rule by the honorable
Tyranny:
Rule by the rulers, for the
rulers
Democratic Rule
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For “The People” to rule we need:
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Equality
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how dow we define that?
Freedom
how dow we define that?
Engagement
what type? and how?
Questions of Democracy
Who are “The People?”
Questions of Democracy
How do “the people” rule?
Questions of Democracy
How do we know what the people want?
Questions Democracy
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What areas should we allow the people to
rule?
Questions of Democracy
Why do we think
“the People” will
make good
political decisions?
Athenian Democracy
The last of the 3 great
Athenian tragedians
Euripides
c. 485-407 BCE
Athenian Democracy
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Athenian Democracy
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The “Suppliants” the play from which we
have the extract in our book, deals with a war
resolution issue set near the very beginning
of Athens’ founding
Thebes was invaded by the Argives, but the
invasion was repulsed
In the wake of the invasion Creon seizes
power as dictator and decrees that the dead
invaders were not to be buried
Athenian Democracy
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The mothers of the fallen then implore Theseus,
the Athenian King, to aid in the recovery of the
fallen
When Creon refuses to release the fallen,
Theseus asks for the Athenian people to
approve the use of the army, and with the
consent of the people Athens invades to retrieve
the bodies
This rescue effort was successful and the fallen
were laid to rest
Pericles
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Pericles (c. 485-429 BCE)
Legendary Athenian
leader
Champion of the arts
and sciences, and
renowned
military/political
leader
Led Athens into the
Peloponnesian War
Pericles
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Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE) pits
Sparta and its allies against Athens
Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War
In 415, Athens attacks Syracuse in Sicily, in
move to gain control over the whole island
•Resounding defeat, democracy collapses in
Athens (411)
•Sparta, with aid from Persia, builds its navy
•405 surprise attack from Sparta on docked
Athenian navy; all but 9 ships destroyed,
thousands killed
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Peloponnesian War
Spring 404, Athens
surrenders
•Sparta forces it to
tear down walls
•Remove fortress
around Pireaus (its
main port)
•Navy reduced to 12
ships
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The Funeral Oration