Early Government of Athens

Steps to Democracy

Early Origins

City state was controlled by the land-owning aristocracy

Governed through a council headed by three officials

Nobles often put their interests ahead of the other inhabitants

Citizens who were not nobles were powerless

Early Origins

System brought resentment Merchants demanded more political

power Small farmers were being forced into

debt because of poor harvests Had to either sell to a nobleman and

become a tenant or become a slave Skilled tradesmen resented their

inability to become citizens All this discontent led to violence

Draco

In 621 B.C. the officials of Athens appointed Draco to draw up a written code

Wanted to prevent civil war Law was very harsh, death penalty for many

offenders Public law, to be applied equally to all

classes Did come up with the idea of ‘intent’ in

murder cases Did not work to well, still violence over the

next 25 years

Draconian Law

Any debtor whose status was lower than that of his creditor was forced into slavery

The death penalty was appropriate for stealing even so much as a cabbage

 "It is said that Drakon himself, when asked why he had fixed the punishment of death for most offences, answered that he considered these lesser crimes to deserve it, and he had no greater punishment for more important ones.“ Plutarch

Solon

Next person chosen to ease tensions in 594 BC

He abolished debt slavery Freed those citizens who had previously

been forced to sell themselves into slavery

Limited the amount of land someone could buy

Extended citizenship to some skilled immigrants

Limited exports of grain to solve food shortage

Importance of Solon

He started Athens along the path of becoming a great trade centre

Ordinary citizens gained greater political power Assembly of citizens

Reformed legal code from Draco Citizens could bring issues against

other citizens to court Tried by other citizens who owned property

Tyranny of Pisistraus

Continual tensions surrounding land ownership led to him taking power in 560 B.C.

Used a coup that was popular with the people

He took land from the nobles and gave it to the peasants

Also reduced the privileges of the nobles

Added buildings to the Acropolis Trade and business thrived

Tyranny of Cleisthenes

Overthrew Pisistratus’s son (508 BC) Organized the people into 10 tribes

based on area of residence, Council of 500

Organized gov’t with leaders chosen by lot, not blood

Introduced ostracism Anyone thought to be a threat to Athens

was exiled for 10 years He set Athens on the path to

democracy

Pericles (leader 461-429 BC)

Leader and general during Greece’s Golden Age

Claimed to be the ‘First Citizen of Athens’ Turned Athens into an empire Promoted the arts and literature Athens became the educational and cultural

center of the ancient Greek world. Built up the Acropolis even more (Parthenon)  Pericles also ‘created’ Athenian democracy 

Critics say he catered too much to the people

The World’ First Democracy

Read the article and answer:1. Outline how Athenian democracy

worked Assembly, Council of 500, 10 Generals

2. Outline how the Athenian Legal System worked