Government in Athens
Pericles was the
leader of Athens for thirty years. He was not a monarch or despot.
The people of Athens elected him year after year. He declared that
Athens was a democracy. In Athens, power was “in the hands of many
rather than the few.” Pericles was correct about saying that Athens
was a democracy at that time. Compared to other ancient governments,
Athens was democratic, but it does not seem that way today. When
he spoke of government by the people, he should have said government by
the citizens.
Citizens had more rights in
Greeks cities than any of the others. They could do almost anything
they wanted to do. They could own property, take part in politics
and the law. Most of the men in Greece were citizens, but women,
slaves, and foreigners could not be.