WebOverall, ancient Athens was indeed not truly democratic as a result of the government having male citizens have authority, being an oligarchy government instead of a democratic government, and voting not accessible to women, free foreigners (Metics), and slaves except for male citizens. This is because of Athenian cultural achievements, government and social climate. While both Athenian and Roman form of democracy was a major step away from autocratic rule, but they both had their drawbacks. The Spartan government is made up of kings and elders only. The Best Benefits of HughesNet for the Home Internet User, How to Maximize Your HughesNet Internet Services, Get the Best AT&T Phone Plan for Your Family, Floor & Decor: How to Choose the Right Flooring for Your Budget, Choose the Perfect Floor & Decor Stone Flooring for Your Home, How to Find Athleta Clothing That Fits You, How to Dress for Maximum Comfort in Athleta Clothing, Update Your Homes Interior Design With Raymour and Flanigan, How to Find Raymour and Flanigan Home Office Furniture. For example, here in the United states which is a democracy, everyone is allowed to vote and have land. Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. The concepts of limiting individualism, encouraging positive associations, and moderating the tyranny of the majority that Tocqueville observed during his trip in America helped maintain the new democratic republic built after the revolution. In Sparta, Boys were taken from parents at age seven and trained in the art of warfare. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Socrates did not care for the idea in general, and Aristotle thought it could, within a state, yield new forms of abuse of power. How to Market Your Business with Webinars? Democracy in Ancient Greece was very direct. together can be a bad action taken by the government. The Sea shaped the Greek civilizations as rivers did in the other ancient civilizations. 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. Athens has a better government system then the Roman Republic. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Sparta and Athens are very different from the way they are administered as well as their practices. The most common governments in the city-states consisted of monarchies, oligarchies, dictatorships, and sometimes democracies. 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. The biggest difference between Athenian democracy and almost all other democracies is that the Athenians had a direct democracy rather than being representative. Its also said that Sparta is the foundation for the governments we now have in the world. The United States has a representative democracy. Advantage: They had access to trade, transportation, fish, and water. During the late Archaic Greek and Classical periods, two particular city-states were in existence with significant similarities as well as differences. When asking what is democracy, the answer is never truly defiente. This caused some to view them with hostility which sparked the conflicts between Athens and Sparta that lead to the Peloponnesian War. And also huge people complain about the racism and the guns. WebThe Democracy of Ancient Greece was used heavily in creating modern American Democracy. WebOne of the main advantages of Athenian democracy was that the archon and his eight assistants were elected annually. The constitution favor many people instead of few people. State of the art architecture. Spartan. Athens had a geographic advantage because they were very superior. Women were forced to go through training to become strong, to male healthy babies, it was tough. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having mountains cover ancient Greece? 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. They were the main city with an area of land around them. Democracy was rule by citizens only, excluding women, free foreigners (Metics) and slaves. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. What is the formula for calculating solute potential? Sparta and Athens had differences and similarities in the way they governed their city states, in how they established their military forces, how they treated women, their marriage customs and social gatherings. Democracy in Athenian government the way that the citizens pass a vote is getting done, in elected by the assembly annually for making decisions about military matters and by showing hands. The word democracy has its origins in the Greek language. 2 What were the limitations of the ancient Greeks? Rather than vote for representatives, like we do, each citizen was expected to vote for every law. This group of people only included white male citizens, meaning that slaves, foreign born residents, women and some men who hadnt obtained citizenship couldnt vote (Doc D). The word democracy is greek, the word demos means people and kratos means power. Advantages: Made it hard for enemies to get to Greece, Greeks developed very small, close kit communities, hill top lookouts for invaders. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Athens had a geographic advantage because they were very superior. Differences : Advantages And Disadvantages Of Athens And Sparta, Athens and Sparta are the two famous city-states in Ancient Greece. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a government? 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. Weaknesses of the Athenian democracy include: The Athenian form of democracy was a contradiction in the sense that it did not allow participation of a large section of the public, namely, women and slaves. Times change and with it human desires, but not many people challenge it or seem to think outside the box. In all fairness I believe Athens had the better system of government. The plague also led to social unrest and lack of unity. They became skilled sailors. Each city-state had its own government. 3 What were the strengths and weaknesses of ancient Greece? Athens had a geographic advantage because they were very superior. The Athenian definition of citizens was also different from modern-day citizens: only free men were considered citizens in Athens. Pre-Classical Greece saw a Dorian movement take place after the Trojan war. What was the disadvantage of democracy in ancient Greece? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. What was the limits of democracy in ancient Greece? Today we think of democracy as majority rule. Elements of more than one of these forms also co-existed, however, and the modern connotations of labels such as these are not necessarily the same as those that prevailed in Ancient Greece. There was a constant importance of acknowledging all citizens hard work and participation. 1 What were the advantages and disadvantages of Greece? In a relatively resource-poor region, a society rose from the access of foreign sources of raw materials and markets abroad. Democracy (disadvantage) Few people were considered citizens and had a voice in government. This will only lead to a shift to the left of aggregate demand and is it impossible for the people to pay taxes when the living standards is low. Spartan women are better than Athenian women because they have more rights, these rights coclude of being able to marry anyone they wish to. In Athen, Schools taught reading, writing, and mathematics, music, poetry, sport, and gymnastics. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Although, if we look at the Athens, we see that they had no issues with plentiful land, as they possessed large and populous territory. The first inhabitants of Attica (the wider area of Athens), of who we are aware, lived during the Neolithic Period (6,000-2,800 BC). Democracy (disadvantage) Only the elite or upper class had a role in government, lower class not represented. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Athenian citizens in that era were generally expected to have respectful qualities, like openness, a rational mind and belief in their authority, although they did have shortcomings. It was the oligarchy in Sparta that put a war-like attitude as its first priority and best met the needs of Ancient Greece. Advantages: meet outside often, healthy outdoor lifestyle, they had good temperature for farming and prospering, very moderate climate. The reason I say this is because, in economic terms, reduction in government spending and increasing tax collection at the same time is like hitting someone with two hammers together. Women could own property. Ancient Greece was comprised of small city-states, of which Sparta and Athens were two. During that year, they were responsible for making new laws and controlled all parts of the political process. This means a lot more people got to attend political affairs. All rights reserved. Members of Spartan offices were also restricted to people who had very high social standing. Athens was a small city compared to Rome that honored and protected citizenship. 9 What was the disadvantage of tyranny in ancient Greece? Having good harbors and water access is good for trade, and trade brings economic stability. Therefore, they could easily make decisions. Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state. Athens owes the first penal and civil law code to Draco. As I will come to. The first one is Document A: Pericles and the other one is Document B: The The Athenian Constitution. 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. Underline the word or expression in parentheses that best completes each sentence. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Spartas government was said to have a mixture of the major types of government which is oligarchy, monarchy, and democracy. Ancient Greece is often credited with being the birthplace of democracy. In blues, certain "flattened" notes create the (allusion, illusion) of a human voice. A democracy is a form of government that is ruled by the people and controlled by the people. Cons. Sparta was cruel, disgusting, and uninviting each day would be a struggle to survive. Some people believe they were more democratic than us today, but I think they were never a true democratic government. The people of ancient Greece took advantage of all this saltwater and coastline and became outstanding fishermen and sailors. Unfortunately, the assembly was open to all citizens except women. The two biggest city-states have always had issues. Monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy and democracy were all forms of government found at different times and in different city-states in Ancient Greece. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The answers given may be; a society where everyone votes, or by dictionary definition a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of the state; typically through elected representation. However when analyzing the etymology of the word democracy we come to find out that demos means the people and kratia means rule or power in greek. Athens was truly democratic because everyone had the equal justice, people were voted into office, and ones social class did not determine what a person could become. Like the Spartans they too wanted to protect their state but unlike the Spartans, the Athenians strove for excellence not only in being warriors but also in their everyday lives. It also represents the control of an organization or group by the majority of its members. Athens strengths included its large size, large trireme navy, wealth, and democratic government. I believe that ancient Athens was not a true democracy. The word democracy comes from two Greek words that mean people (demos) and rule (kratos). He distinguishes three aspects: democracy as a principle of legitimacy (power not derives, Advantages And Disadvantages Of Democracy, Democracy. This crossroad marked a change to the government. Athens was renowned as a center of wisdom and learning. Athens on the other hand had a democracy as stated in Document 3, an excerpt from Funeral Orations by Pericles a quotes from this excerpt states it is true that our government is a democracy, because its administration is in the hands, not of the few, but of many.. This quote clearly states that the type of government Athens has is a. They all spoke the same language and they all believed in the same god. A belief in shared power: based on a suspicion of concentrated power (whether by individuals, groups or governments). This excluded a majority of the population: slaves, freed slaves, children, women and metics (foreign residents in Athens). The five most powerful Greek city-states were; Athens, Sparta, Corinth. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. One of the earliest known democracies was in Athens, a city-state in southern, ancient Greece. The Athenians were stronger because they had a better geography, government, cultural achievements, and I would rather live in the Athens. Undoubtedly it helped the citizens of Athens to broaden their minds, their cultural awareness and, what was probably most important, to develop. The secret ballot, First of all, it is important to know the definition of democracy and its aspects. Lastly, because so much of Greece is rocky, mountainous terrain, there isnt a lot of fertile soil. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. The geography of the region helped to shape the government and culture of the Ancient Greeks. Athens also had much more trading power, and controlled more land than Sparta. While it has been stated that Athens is the cradle of democracy, and that it was better than any of the other governments in the world, it was still a work in progress. The Athenian democracy, while it did give more power to the people, still left a lot of citizens out. When you look at the literal definition of democracy in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there is a decently large explanation. Apart from many smaller changes, it was mainly based on the opportunity for all citizens over 20 to take part in governing the country. Athens was a superior city state over Sparta. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government. They did have officials to run the government, however. (Document B): The second reason is that if the court decides that someone has no right to be enrolled as a citizen he becomes. 4 What are the advantages and disadvantages of having mountains cover ancient Greece? Mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. Give me balance, give me equality. The god in charge of Athens was Athena, goddess of wisdom. These mountains and oceans would make Sparta would be in a condition of prosperity and comfort. The Greeks never unified, Sparta is a better place to have an exciting or joyful life because you would be isolated by mountains and oceans. reading #2: "Greek Art." But they were loyal to their city-state. The Athenian democracy, while it did give more power to the people, still left a lot of citizens out. The first known democracy in the world was in Athens. Women, children, and slaves were not considered citizens and therefore could not vote. Thus, a key part of democracy is that the people have a voice. While it has been stated that Athens is the cradle of democracy, and that it was better than any of the other governments in the world, it was still a work in progress. Together it means rule by the people. For instance the way that these cities were governed and their political procedures and functions were quite different from each other. Overall, ancient Athens was indeed not truly democratic as a result of the government having male citizens have authority, being an oligarchy government instead of a democratic government, and voting not accessible to women, free foreigners(Metics), and slaves except for male citizens. Democracy in Athens the government officials are chosen by sweepstakes and worked for 1 year for proposing and enforcing decrees but didnt have much individual power. Self- Government/Democracy: "Rule by the people." Athens weaknesses included its unwritten laws, lack of unity at the beginning, insatiable hunger for new territories, and constant power struggles with other poleis. National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. The rigidity of the Constitution makes it difficult to amend easily. To begin with Sparta completely discarded all advanced education. 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. It is tough terrain for attackers, and its also tough terrain for the Greeks. The focus of the times was directed towards military capabilities, while the Athenians were more interested in comfort and culture. During the Archaic Age, Sparta was solely focused on fighting wars and training their children for these wars. 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. It is a powerful word. First of all, the economy was very strong in Athens. Not many dare to explore the flaws or disadvantages. What are the disadvantages of Constitution? According to the Athens and Sparta Document Set, a democracy means rule by the people. Athens stood out from Sparta as well as the other city-states not only because of its immense population but also because it was the commercial leader of Greece and was home to a great navy. It had a place in the way the people of ancient times governed their lives. 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. The Athens lived by the Sea which was an advantage because they had an excellent trading system. Athenians elected government officials through lot (Document B). Why is that so? Athenians were educated(except girls) but they never knew much about brute force, unlike the Spartans. Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. Why was the Athenian form of democracy a contradiction? Spartas kings ruled until death or forcibly removed from office. 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. Disadvantages: controlled little territory, many rivals/more conflict. He found its concepts to have unique strengths and weaknesses that he believed could be the inspiration for the new government of post-revolution France. How did geographic barriers affect Shang and Zhou relations with outside peoples? Being the birthplace of democracy gives Ancient Greece a very important reputation. The Pros And Cons Of Ancient Athenian Democracy. The different city states had their own ideas on social control and values in their government. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. To have a powerful and lasting empire with great prosperity you must have a series of strong leaders. As we look back upon the two significant differences in the governmental systems of Sparta and Athens, there are also many other characteristics that distinguish the differences and similarities of these two city states. In fact, it adhered to a military oligarchy most of its existence. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. A source that shares this view is the Ted-Ed video this also similarly to historian Paul Cartledge states that Athens was a direct democracy and also that not all of the population had the right to. 5 Why is Greece the birthplace of democracy? While it has been stated that Athens is the cradle of democracy, and that it was better than any of the other governments in the world, it was still a work in progress. These reasons include Pericles rise to power, the different members of government and their powers, and the changes in the idea of a democracy. 6 What are the pros and cons of democracy in ancient Greece? Advantage: They had access to trade, transportation, fish, and water. Both of these city-states shared similar characteristics such as both would remain the foundation for the Greek political world. Democracy in Athenian government the way that the citizens pass a vote is getting done, in elected by the assembly annually for making decisions about military matters and by showing hands. Ancient Athens, had a much more stronger basis than ancient Sparta. Cinesiolgists study sceletons. One reason why Athens had a greater respect for human rights is that they had a direct democracy, while Sparta had an oligarchy. The Constitution also represents the value and principles of democracy and republicanism that the United States of American stands by. They took politics very seriously and made sure that everyone had a voiced opinion. One of the earliest known democracies was in Athens, a city-state in southern, ancient Greece. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Athens was a democratic state that was peaceful and where women were open to culture and democracy. Sparta is far better than Athens on the grounds that their armed force was strong and defensive. The Greek divine beings were Sea travel connected Greece to other societies. Mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. Sparta, it appears, had fewer changes to government over time as compared to Athens. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The Athenians valued their political freedom and free thought. Unfortunately, the government makes the people feel powerless to the point where theyre forced to elect a candidate whos not impotent. On the other hand, direct democracy is not a good chose for America. Ancient Greece was dominated by small city-states and independent towns, rather than by one all-powerful king, because of its geography. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 5. Athens was also referred to as the birthplace of democracy, a government system still in use today! When a new law was proposed, all the citizens of Athens had the opportunity to vote on it. From the system of creating new laws to the checks and balances that define the American government. No i don't think Athens was truly democratic because, all the rules of ancient Athens are very unfair with all their rules and rights for all citizens. While Athens is widely regarded as the first historical example of a democratic system, some scholars believe that the Roman Empires republic system was more democratic than that of the Greek. Democracy is the modern day standard for governmental systems. Two of the biggest city-states were Athens and Sparta. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Democracy is the modern day standard for governmental systems. What was the government like in ancient Greece? It was possible to prolong the rule for the next term but in case of any abnormalities a quick change of government took place. The main disadvantage for the Athenians was that around 430 BCE, a plague struck Athens. Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century B.C.E. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government. If they did not fulfill their duty they would be fined and sometimes marked with red paint. Disadvantage: Unpredictable sea, need boats to travel. Disadvantages: Not a lot of flat land to farm, Diffcult to travel over land, Diffcult to unite under a single government, limited natural resources. What this means is that all the citizens voted on all the laws. They were only given a cloak - no shoes or other clothes, and not enough food so they had to steal (to learn survival skills). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Lycurgus accomplished the consolidation. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Every citizen in Athens is allowed to take part in government, even poor citizens. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 1 What were the disadvantages of democracy in ancient Greece? WebThe common man, woman and children were considered subjects, who had no say in how the land was governed or any of the policies that were implemented. The reason why Takaki tells us the story of his interaction with the taxi cab driver is because the driver assumed since he was not white, that he was not American. Most would find it easier to find more similarities among these two groups of mighty people. Cons. The city of Athens was named after their special goddess. Athens was a small city compared to Rome that honored and protected citizenship. Established on September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution established Americas national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed rights for its citizens. 4 What are the pros and cons of democracy in ancient Greece? Not everyone gets to participate. The goal of a vote was not to decide which special interests could muster the most votes, it was about how to bring together the information and know-how of the citizens to solve public problems. Due to the fact that Sparta had a very military lifestyle, they were good at raising strong outspoken women in a society where women were kept at home.