Greek Government -- Ancient History Encyclopedia - 1 views
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The Constitution of the Athenians, one written by Aristotle or one of his pupils and the other attributed (by some) to Xenophon. Other sources which discuss politics and government include Aristotle’s Politics and the historical works of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon.
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mrs. b. on 10 Oct 13Primary sources for what the government in ancient Greece was like!
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Athens’ constitution is called a democracy because it respects the interests not of the minority but of the whole people.
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Any male citizen 18 years or over could speak (at least in theory) and vote in the assembly, usually with a simple show of hands.
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estimated that only 3,000 or so people actively participated in politics. Of this group, perhaps as few as 100 citizens - the wealthiest, most influential, and the best speakers - dominated the political arena both in front of the assembly and behind the scenes in private conspiratorial political meetings (xynomosiai) and groups (hetaireiai).
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the dēmos could be too easily swayed by a good orator or popular leaders (the demagogues) and get carried away with their emotions.
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Issues discussed in the assembly ranged from deciding magistracies to organising and maintaining food supplies to debating military matters
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There was also a boulē or council of 500 citizens chosen by lot and with a limited term of office, which acted as a kind of executive committee of the assembly. The decrees of the Assembly could also be challenged by the law courts.
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For the Greeks (or more particularly the Athenians) any system which excluded power from the whole citizen-body and was not a tyranny or monarchy was described as an oligarchy. Oligarchies were perhaps the most common form of city-state government and they often occurred when democracy went wrong.
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An oligarchy is a system of political power controlled by a select group of individuals, sometimes small in number but it could also include large groups. For the Greeks (or more particularly the Athenians) any system which excluded power from the whole citizen-body and was not a tyranny or monarchy was described as an oligarchy. Oligarchies were perhaps the most common form of city-state government and they often occurred when democracy went wrong.