Greek government An overview of the types and facts of ancient and politics
Why did ancient Greece value its
government? Discover the political
systems, historical details, and forms of governance that existed in ancient
Greece. Revision: November 21, 2023 table of contents
Overview of ancient Greek government; types of ancient Greek government; the government of
ancient Greek city-states; ancient Greek government's legacy; a synopsis of the
lesson
Government in ancient
Greece: synopsis
We can turn to the administration of ancient
Greece to discover the origins of democratic governance and the foundations of
contemporary democracy. It's interesting to note that ancient Greek politics
and governance were transparent, including the populace at every stage of the
process. Second, Athens's historic greek political system is regarded as the
first in the history of democracy and the source of our current system's design. In
order to preserve our heritage, we in the west still construct our major
institutions' buildings—like courts and banks—in the manner of the ancient greeks.
Ancient writers who, either concurrently or as
records of their own pasts, documented history, including homer, aristotle,
polybios, herodotus, and others, are the primary sources from which we learn
about governance in ancient greece. There was more than one type of governance
throughout the country's history and geography, and those in positions of
governmental authority also wielded religious authority in ancient greece.
Greek government
history
Through the study of ancient literature, we
learn about the ancient greek administration. Numerous historical writers,
including aristotle, plutarch, and herodotus, among others, discussed how
city-state governments operated. Greece's archaic era (750–480 bc) is
remembered for the emergence of governmental activity and the polis, which is
now known as the city-state. A city with its own autonomous government is
called a city-state.
Early on in this era, authority was typically
possessed by affluent social elites who engaged in rivalry. They were given
their positions of authority based on their ancestry or land wealth. Community
groups were created by the athens government system in the fourth century bc to
be more actively involved in the political process. Nevertheless, the council
of social elites continued to exert influence over this first, ostensibly
democratic form of public voting.
Governmental types back in
antiquity
Because of the various towns and cities that
grew throughout the ninth century bc, ancient greece had a wide variety of
governments. Governments were unstable and frequently split into groups
according to the people in positions of authority. The basis of this theory of
political cycles is the notion that government is similar to a biological
organism, a view that the greek historian polybios dubbed anakiklosis. According
to his theory, mistrust of the ruling class transforms an oligarchy into a
democracy after the government starts off as a monarchy, becomes a tyrant, and
then revolutionizes it again. Once more, it devolves into an even more
oppressive kind of oligarchy, until another revolution ushers in a return to
monarchy or dictatorship.
Ancient greece's governmental system was never
stable. It explains to us how democracies are capable of both successful and
unsuccessful governments. The following forms of governance were frequently
seen and practiced in ancient greece: oligarchy, democracy, atrocity, and
empire.
Empire
A monarchy is a form of governance where a
single person holds all authority. Usually, this is a person of aristocratic
ancestry connected to earlier monarchs. The earliest periods of greek history,
such as the mycenaean period (1300–1050 bc), saw the greatest popularity of it.
Homer goes into great detail about agamemnon, the most well-known king of
mycenae. After 800 bc, the majority of one-ruler states were seen as despotic
(see below).
Horrible
In book four of politics, aristotle describes
tyranny as an absolute monarchy in which the ruler prioritizes his own
interests over the interests of the people. Public. The greek world came to be
ruled by tyranny.
Several ancient greek writers address the tyrant
polycrates, who ruled samos on the west coast of asia in the late sixth century
bc. He is said to be extremely wealthy and to be interfering in both greek and
non-greek matters for personal gain. He even financed special festivities for a
select few at the heraion in samos. Aristotle also gives the example of orthogoras
of sikyon, on the greek mainland, whose dynasty was the longest-ruling tyrant
family in greece.
Democracy
The foundation of democracy
is a three-part governance structure:
The public votes for decision-makers in the
legislative branch, for presidential authority in the executive branch, and for
legal authority in the judicial branch. Courts in charge of upholding the law
these three branches can be traced back to the first iteration of democracy in
athens, which comprised a court, an assembly open to all who wished to voice
their opinions and cast a ballot, three rulers known as archons, and the
council of five hundred, which was made up of individuals selected by lottery from
ten distinct communities. Today, the council of five hundred and the assembly
will become one contemporary legislative branch.
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a system in which a small number of
people dominate politics. But in classical greece, hundreds of powerful men
vying for dominance might form an oligarchy. In polybios' cycle, oligarchy
would emerge through a revolution that would topple a democratic government or
remove a tyrant.
In prehistoric greece, the oligarchy did not
last. A short instance took place in 411 bc during the peloponnesian war
(431–404 bc) between sparta and athens. Worried by their military defeats in
sicily and the aegean sea, the aristocracy in athens rose to power and drove
out democracy. The 'four hundred', a group of 400 individuals, held power for a
mere two years. In the fifth century bc, corinth, an ancient greek city, was
home to a long-lasting oligarchy.
Ancient greek city-state:
administration
The iron age (c. 1000–700 bc) saw the emergence
of city-state governance in ancient greece, which was further developed by 600
bc. The ancient greek city-states were first ruled by chieftains, but soon
kings and other leaders came to be in charge, giving rise to the four
categories of governance that were previously explored.
A city with its own autonomous administration is
called a city-state, although they weren't all set up similarly. One important
aspect of city-state governance was the absence of unilateral decisions and the
open and transparent conduct of government operations, which were made possible
by the tiny size of these communities. The hoplites, or infantry, were another
aspect of city-state governance, and they were frequently obliged to provide
their own armor. Threats from both close and far away made hoplites crucial.
The following describes
three instances of city-state governance in sparta, thebes, and athens.
Ancient greece's athens
government
Overall, athens' administration was comparable
to that of classical greece. It had failed oligarchies and despots. The
majority the famous thing about it is that democracy originated there. Around
508 bc, athens' democracy happened by accident when the peisistratids, the last
group of tyrants, were driven from the city and the remaining elite were unable
to establish an oligarchy. Cleisthenes inspired ordinary people to rise up and
assume power. Without delay, he dismantled the conventional four-group organization
and instituted 10 groups, which subsequently made contributions to the council
of five hundred. Men over 20 were chosen at random to serve on this council.
The assembly, which let anybody who wanted to speak and cast a vote on any
issue, was another important component. Socially, women and slaves were still
divided into the four social classes that solon established in 600 bc, not
given citizenship, and had no government representation. A constitution was
also drafted in athens.
Spartan governance in classical
greece
Among the greek cities of antiquity, sparta
stood out due to its hereditary monarchy, which took effect around 300 bc. In
comparison with other city-states, its administration was likewise more strict.
The spartans held that in order for people to understand their duties and
obligations, the government needed to be involved in people's personal lives.
Due to their superior army, sparta was able to enlist soldiers from neighboring
regions, such as the southwest's messenia. The three classes that comprised the
spartan government were helots, or slave laborers; perioikoi, or neighbors, who
represented the middle class; and homoioi, or equals, who represented the
highest level and were the only complete citizens. Homoioi organized a
gathering. In order to free the men to battle, this affluent group was given
land and helots to labor. This class of women was regarded as citizens.
A council of elders had the authority to
overrule decisions made by the assembly, and both royal houses endeavored to
limit the authority of one another. Lastly, the 'great retra', the constitution
of sparta, was the first of its type and preceded the constitution of athens.
Greek theban government
362 bc: theban occupation
Thebes was a city-state that increased its
military presence in the 4th century bc. In 379 bc, it established the sacred
band, an elite corps that served full-time. Out of 300 guys. Thebes established
hegemony, or domination, over other city-states with this particular unit; its
most extensive expansion took place in 362 bc. Thebes had a constitution, just
like other city-states, but it was frequently altered in order to keep thebes'
authority over others. The aristocracy employed remarks in their gatherings to
portray their rivals as feeble-willed. The ancient author plutarch mentions this
in his account of the theban orator meneclidas.
The greek government's
legacy
A roman replica of pericles'
statue in the british museum
The governance of ancient greece has endured to
this day. According to thucydides, athens was great because it gave its
residents freedom, respect for one another, and opportunities for association.
Pericles was an athenian general. These qualities are highly valued even in the
west. Athens is widely acknowledged as the world's pioneering example of
democracy and the constitution. This city-state is distinguished from others
not by superiority but rather by having a greater historical record thanks to
the works of antiquated writers.
Another reason the city-state form of
administration is significant is that it demonstrates the necessity of a robust
economic foundation for national unity. Greece was never unified under a single
ruler until rome expanded its dominance to include greece, a task that needed
an army. This was in spite of some city-states (like thebes) attempting to
establish hegemony. Funding needs a solid economic foundation.
Synopsis of the lesson
Ancient greek governance was typified by
city-states, which date back to around 1100 bc. Every city that is a city-state
possesses an autonomous government of its own. These city-states gave rise to a
variety of governments, such as tyranny (where a single individual rules for
his personal gain), democracy (where the needs of the people decide
government), and oligarchy (where many people dominate).
The democracy that athens exemplifies is based
on a council of people chosen by lottery, an assembly where anybody may voice
their opinions on any issue, a court, and three rulers. Although there was a
legislature at sparta, the two families' joint monarchs controlled it. Hoplites
played a significant role in thebes and sparta, two city-states well-known for
their might in battle.
In the past, civic standing was determined by
money and land. Greece, however, these laws varied. Wives of landowners were
regarded as citizens in sparta, whereas women and slaves were not in athens. In
the end, ancient greece created a lasting we continue to commemorate this
history through our structures and speeches. We have left a legacy and based
our democracy on athens.
Further pursuits
Some hints on the structure
of the ancient greek government
Examine a hint
Make a deck of flashcards that define the five
government-related terms (city-state, monarchy, oligarchy, dual-monarchy, and
democracy) that are bolded in the text.
Advice:
if the images on your flashcards aid in your comprehension of the word
definitions, make use of them as well!
Section write a paragraph explaining how
monarchy works (at least three to five phrases). And oligarchy are not alike.
Example:
in a monarchy, the populace is ruled by a single individual, often a king.
Essay help:
Write a two- or three-paragraph essay outlining athens' democratic
past.
Example:
in 508 bc, a statesman by the name of cleisthenes created the concept of
democracy.
Visual organizer prompt 1: make a poster, chart, or other kind of visual organizer
that illustrates the functions and distinguishing features of sparta's dual
monarchy.
Example:
sparta's emphasis on building a powerful army was one of its distinguishing
traits.
Graphic organizer prompt 2: design a poster,
chart, or other visual aid that illustrates the features of athens democracy.
Remember the liberties that the athenians possessed? What they were lacking.
Example:
voting was only available to those who were free.