Democracy Of Ancient Athens Democracy - 891 Words

Democracy in ancient Athens In ancient Greek life one of their trademarks was the polis, or city state. â€Å"The city-states were small, independent communities which were male-dominated and bound together by race.†(Steven Kreis 2000) Membership in the polis was important and was only passed down to someone within the citizen family, being male. In a polis, citizens are part of a selected part of a group that is superior to the rest of society. The members that are not part of the body of citizens are woman, slaves, and peasants. Men held the power in any given polis. Families that are related by blood in a polis are considered to be strong. The boys would grow up with each other in school and later grow up and fight alongside one another in war. The men would debate in public assemblies, elected a male representative as a magistrate. In the society of the polis citizens were required to participate in military services, intellectual discussions, and religious ceremonies. They were also required to demonstrate and believe in politics and justice. These citizens did not have responsibilities but duties. If they did not uphold their duty they were considered the destruction of their society. Every city-state was unique and different form one another. Not one polis was the same as another. They strived to have their own identity. Ancient Greek was mainly hundreds of city-states among the region acting as their own independent corridor. The importance of the polis is whatShow MoreRelatedAncient Athens : The Birthplace Of Democracy1378 Words   |  6 PagesLemesis Reyes Sec: 27 Although, Ancient Athens is known to be the birthplace of democracy. Nevertheless, in this paper I argue that there are aspects that show that Athenians were not truly democratic because of the restrictions imposed on citizenship such as; age requirement, only males allowed, and the requirement of a birth measure meaning that double descent was required from both an Athenian mother and an Athenian father to be recognized as a citizen regardless of one’s birthplace. It is antitheticalRead MoreAncient Athens: The Prototype for Western Democracy Essays1264 Words   |  6 PagesAncient Athens serves as a beacon within Western antiquity as the center for culture with its cultural advancements impacting the culture of today. Founded nearly 9,000 years ago, Athens formed itself as the center of Greek culture and education during the classical period. Considered the prototype for Western Democracy, it allowed for the rise of a citizenship of voters, something unique in the ancient world. The Athenian love of physical activity culminated in the Olympics, an event that thoughRead MoreThe Founding Fathers Of The United States1705 Words   |  7 PagesBy definition, democracy is a type of political system in which all members share the same level of power, but it is also the framework for the government of multiple countries including the United States of America. Athenian democracy, created near 400 B.C. in Athens, Greece, was a direct system where par ticipating citizens had the opportunity to vote directly on legislative and executive bills. The founding fathers of the United States took the Athenian’s idea and created the idea of â€Å"representativeRead MoreGreece : The Birth Place Of Democracy1087 Words   |  5 PagesUnit 2: HIST 1421 Written Assignment Although Greece is the birth place of Democracy, Greece was not always a democratic country. In many parts of Greece other forms of government ruled. For instance, in Sparta, the government was an oligarchy; and in Athens before democracy, they were an aristocracy. When leaders took over land and their word became law, it was considered a tyranny. Many places ran by a royal family or bloodline were considered monarchy. A monarchy by definition is a form of governmentRead MoreAthenian Democracy Essay examples1278 Words   |  6 Pagesthe world’s governments have converted to democracies. In the Ancient World, there was only one truly notable example of a democratic society: The City-State of Athens. This is actually the birthplace of democracy, where instead of the rich or powerful ruling, it was the citizens of the city-state that held the power. This advanced way of government was so effective and well structured, it even laid the foundations for the development of our own democracy, right here in the United States, over 2,000Read MoreImportance Of The Polis On Ancient Greek Life1608 Words   |  7 PagesMidterm Prompt 1 Discuss the importance of the polis in ancient Greek life, using Athens as an example. Trace the development of democracy in ancient Athens. â€Å"Polis is a term that is used to describe a tight knit small community of Ancient Greek citizens who agreed on certain rules and customs. Usually a polis was centered on a small town and the countryside the surrounded it† (Deering). The polis defined a public and communal space, the Agora, for the purpose of leading public affairs. The affairsRead MoreThe French Revolution Essay examples1018 Words   |  5 Pagessimilarity between the French Revolution and the age of antiquity, more specific Ancient Greece. We shall compare dominant figures of both the French Revolution and Ancient Greece by using examples from writings from both ancient literature and contemporary and giving direct examples to support the ideas in this essay. Furthermore, this essay will discuss how similar the emergence of democracy in Ancient Greece is to the emergence of it in the French Revolution. The FrenchRead MoreAthenian Democracy Influenced Western Political Thought1013 Words   |  5 Pagesshow that ancient Athenian democracy influenced western political thought, specifically, western democracies. By influencing such modern day democracies, ancient Greek culture remains a presence in contemporary life. Introduction Approximately 2500 years ago a series of changes and reformations in political thought led to the creation of the ancient Athenian democracy. Through the changes implemented by Solon and Cleisthenes during the Golden Age of Greece, democracy was born in Athens. AlthoughRead MoreEssay on Athenian definition of democracy1213 Words   |  5 Pages Discuss the Athenian definition of democracy. Is the city state the only kind of state in which true democracy can exist? What happens to democracy when it is applied to a society with a large dispersed population? What are other examples of democratic societies besides Athens? Compare and contrast Athenian democracy with American democracy. Is the United States a democracy in the classical sense of the word? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The ancient Greek word quot;demokratiaquot; was ambiguousRead MoreAthens †¦Democracy Realized?. . . Gregory R. Bowen. History1656 Words   |  7 Pages Athens †¦Democracy Realized? Gregory R. Bowen History 2321: World Civilizations II Feb 20, 2017 The Athenians’ of classical Greece are given credit for being the originators of the democratic model †¦giving inspiration to all future attempts at this system of government. While it was practiced as a direct democracy, with all eligible citizens having the right to vote, the question of just how democratic it really was, must be asked. Who was eligible to vote and participate in political