How Athenian Democracy Worked

Overview

• 508 BCE: World’s first democratic constitution.

• Reforms of Kleisthenes: creation of ten tribes (phylai); all citizens enfranchised; use of lot; (possibly) introduced ostracism

 • 460 – 450 BCE: Reforms under Pericles

bring Athenian democracy to its apotheosis

The Nature of Athenian Democracy

• All citizens, without regard to wealth or class, had the right to vote, hold office, sit on juries

• Participation limited to adult males of native parentage; slaves, women, foreigners excluded

• Direct democracy vs representative democracy

The Assembly (ecclesia)

• Passed all legislation by simple majority of those present

• Open to all citizens (40,000 – 50,000)

• Probably only 5 – 6000 took part in any one assembly

• Quorum of 6000 for some votes, eg. ostracism

The Assembly (ecclesia)

• Voting by show of hands, except in the case of treason or an ostracism

• Four meetings of the ecclesia each prytany (month)

• One of the prytaneis would preside over the assembly while a secretary kept records

The Pnyx

The Pnyx

The Pnyx

• Meetings took place in the open air on a hill called the Pnyx

• Citizens sat on the earth, speakers stood on a low platform

• Not easy for speakers to make themselves heard…

The fourth century orator, Demosthenes, is said to have practised speaking over the crashing surf at the seashore.

Aristophanes, The Acharnians (425 BC)

Powers of the Assembly• Passed all legislation

• Debated and decided on war and peace

• Annually elected the ten generals

• Annual vote on the question of ostracism

• Minimal constitutional constraints on the will of the assembly

Boule (Council of 500)

• prepared legislation for consideration of assembly

• Oversaw collection and expenditure of public money

• Oversaw public works• Supervised foreign affairs• Supervised magistrates (office-holders)• But council was the servant of the

assembly: assembly could vote down, change, send back or replace bills drafted by the council

Boule (Council of 500)

• Fifty citizens from each tribe served annually on the boule (state council of 500).

• In a lifetime, citizens could only serve twice on the boule.

• Chosen by lot from all Athenian citizens

• Councillors were paid 1 drachma a day

The Prytaneis

• The Athenian year consisted of ten months (called prytanies)

• For one month a year the fifty representatives of a particular tribe as a group took it in turn to run the Athenian government - a form of Executive Council for the month

• Reported daily to the council as a whole• ‘Foreman’ presided for a day; had control

of the seal of the city and the keys to the temples

The Prytaneis

• Lived at public expense in the tholos

• Chosen by lot

• The order in which tribes would assume the prytaneis was decided by lot

• Foreman chosen by lot

The kleroterion

Election vs. Sortition

Generals (Strategos)

• Elected by vote of the assembly• 10 generals elected for a one year term• Could be elected in perpetuity. Cimon and

Pericles were elected over and over again for over a decade (but they were exceptions).

• Political power limited to personal ability to persuade fellow citizens in the assembly to follow their advice, no special political or civil authority

Generals (Strategos)• Even in military matters, leaders of

expeditions were selected by vote of Athenian assembly, which also determined size of force and goal of campaign

• Before they took office, scrutinised by council

• After year of service they were ‘audited’ – euthyna

• 10 times a year, assembly voted on generals conduct of military affairs. Negative vote, generals tried. Penalised if guilty