Transcript Greek Government

Communities that survived the Dark
Ages were very small and simple
Ruled by local nobles and wealthier
citizens who owned most of the land:
Virtually impossible to change your status in
life
Commoners were forced to pay tribute to
these rulers
Evolve into city-states
Remember: Greece is not one unified nation,
but rather a collection of federations
The Greeks called their city-state the
polis.
Each polis was an independent governing unit
with varying forms of government.
Aristotle:
Rule by the one
Rule by the few
Rule by the many
Now it is evident that the
form of government is best
in which every man,
whoever he is, can act best
and live happily…holla!
Most notably Athens was a democracy;
however, it was not the only form of
government in the city state…
Monarchy: Rule by king or queen
Aristocracy : Rule by a small group of
land owning elite
Tyranny: Rule by one person, the Tyrant,
who takes power, sometimes by force
Democracy: Rule in which the people
are the source of power
On its way from a Monarchy to Democracy
Athens had several people who made
important reforms to develop their
government:
Early Athens was ruled by a king after it
became a unified polis about 700 B.C.
Later Aristocrats took power as they controlled
most of the land
Increased trade led to the development of a
merchant class, these merchants become Tyrants
 First Athenian lawmaker (7th century BC)
 The first to codify & write down laws of
Athens—previously interpreted &
administered arbitrarily by aristocratic
magistrates
 Code famous for its harshness
 Death was the penalty for almost all crimes
 One advance was in the laws of homicide, which
recognized the responsibility of the state, not the
victim's family, in punishing a murderer; thus
blood feuds were to be avoided
 Draconian - unusually severe or cruel
 Laid foundation for democracy in
Athens
 Drew up clear, simple plan that
balanced rights of citizens
 Built-in safeguards to keep one group
from oppressing others
 Passed law that canceled all debt owed
by poor to rich landowners ; forbade
anyone be enslaved for debt
 Wrote code of laws, simpler and less
brutal than existing Draconian laws
 Divided citizens into 4 classes according
to property ownership (each with a
different share in the government)
Draco
needed to
chillax…
Pentacosiomedimnoi - property or estate
could produce 500 bushels of goods per year;
eligible for all top positions of government in
Athens.
Hippeis - the second highest; made of men
who could afford to maintain a war horse in
the service of the state
Zeugitai - hose whose property or estate
could produce 200 bushels per year; men
who could afford armor or a yoke of oxen
Thetes - manual workers or sharecroppers,
they served voluntarily as auxiliaries or naval
row men; didn’t produce enough for military
census
Aristocrat who seized
power in 560 B.C. and
becomes a “tyrant”
Took land from the rich
and gave it to the poor
Greek Robin Hood?
Popular with the poor in
Athens
First form of “socialism”?
Came from one of the most
powerful families in Athens
Created a new council of
500 that oversaw foreign
affairs, and made laws that
were voted on by male
citizens
The basis for The Boule
(council of 500); came into
prominence after his rule
helping to shape Athenian
Democracy.
Organized a vote in the
popular assembly that
deprived the Areopagus
(old aristocratic courts &
judges) of its remaining
power
Power to the People!
 Believed to have been the
defining moment of
Athenian democracy
Athenian democracy was a participative
democracy.
 Government was carried out directly by the
people who voted on all major issues
Two Governing Groups:
Ekklesia- general assembly, the main body,
open to all male citizens over the age of 18
Boule - a council of 500 elected officials
• Adult male Athenian
citizens who had
completed their military
training as ephebes
– About 20% of the
population
• Excluded a majority of the
population:
– slaves, freed slaves, children,
women and metics.
Set the agenda for the ekklesia
Carried out all laws & administered
decisions of ekklesia
Did not receive recompense
Requirements: > 30 and an Athenian citizen
Served for one year at a time and could not
serve for more than two years in a lifetime
50 men were elected from each of the 10 tribes
of Athens
Chosen by lot
Each section of Attica was equally represented
 A highly unusual system of government
 Primarily an oligarchy, but it included
democratic elements.
 Two kings from two different families ruled
the city-state, but a 28-member 'council of
elders' limited their powers.
 Council of Elders (known as the Gerousia)
 male citizens over the age of sixty
 elected and served for life.
 Apella
 all male citizens over the age of thirty
 voted on proposals that originated in the gerousia
 also elected the elders who served on the gerousia.