Transcript Classical Societies

Classical Societies
Ancient Athens to the Roman
Empire
Democracy and Republic
• Democracy-government by the people, for the
people
• Direct Democracy- a form of democracy in which the
people as a whole make direct decisions, rather than
have those decisions made for them by elected
representatives (Athens)
• Representative Democracy- a type of democracy in
which the citizens delegate authority to elected
representatives (Rome)
• Republic-a state in which the head of government is
not a monarch or other hereditary head of state.
Athens
• Ancient Greece was
comprised of city states
(polis)
• Birth place of
democracy was Athens
• Economic instability led
to Athens being on the
verge of civil war
• 594 BC Solon makes
political and economic
reforms in favor of the
poor farmers.
• He cancels land debt
and releases farmers
from slavery
Athens cont.
• 508 BC Cleisthenes
rules Athens, his
reforms grant full
rights to all FREE
MEN of Athens
• 490-479 BC Persian
Wars
• 461-429 BC “Age of
Pericles” jury system
is put in place.
Map of Ancient Greece
• On your map label: Athens, Sparta, Argos, Megara,
Corinth and Olympia
Athenian Democracy
• As you watch the DVD on Athenian
Democracy answer the following
questions:
• In 508 BC for the first time in recorded
history what happened in Athens?
• What problem did Cleisthenes face and
what did he do?
• How often did the National Assembly
meet and what did they discuss?
Decline of Greek Civilization
• Greek colonies
stretched from modern
Turkey to Spain
• Between 431-404 BC
the Greeks fought one
another in the
Peloponnesian Wars
• Athenian democracy is
overthrown
• As Greece weakened a
powerful republic
developed in Rome
Rome from Kingdom to Republic
• Rome was a
monarchy during
the early days of its
foundation
• In 509 BC the
Romans replaced
the monarchy with a
Republic
• Public affairs
controlled by the
Consuls & Senate
Roman Empire Map
From Republic to Empire
• By the middle of the
second century BC
Rome’s influence had
spread across the
Mediterranean
• Expansion of the
Republic leads to
internal conflict & civil
war breaks out
• In 46 BC Julius Caesar
declared himself
dictator of Rome
• So ends any attempt at
Democracy for the next
1200 years!