Government in Ancient Greece Mrs. DelGrosso/Ms. West

Colonies in Ancient Greece As the populations increased, the farmland no longer produced enough food to feed all of the people A solution was to create colonies, or settlements in distant places

Settling in a new land The Greeks sometimes consulted an oracle, or holy person, to ask the Greek gods where to settle They had to take a long sea voyage to find good land to settle on Over the course of 300 years, Greek colonists settled in colonies in Spain, France, Italy, and Africa. This helped to spread Greek culture – MOVEMENT!

Monarchy monos: single arkhein: rule Definition: A monarchy is a government where the ruling power is in the hands of a single person How the government works: They are in charge of making the laws, making the taxes, and controlling the military When the king passed away, he gave his power to his son Aristocrats helped make decisions How the government ended: Aristocrats overthrew the monarchy and took power for themselves

Oligarchy oligos: few arkhein: rule Definition:An oligarchy is a form of government in which the ruling power is in the hands of a few leaders. How the government works: Political power was shared among wealthy aristocrats. How the government ended: People overthrew the oligarchy because those who were wealthy became richer and it was unfair to lower class people

Tyranny tyrannos: usurper with supreme power Definition: A tyranny is a form of government in which the ruling power is in the hands of an individual who has seized control, often illegally. How the government worked: The tyrant had total control and was often abusive with his power Drastic changes were made to the government How the government ended: Tyrants became harsh and greedy, and were eventually overthrown by the people

Democracy demos: people kratos: power Definition: A democracy is a type of government in which the ruling power is in the hands of all of the people. How the government worked: The public officials did not have much individual power. Groups of people met to make decisions (Council of 500 and Citizens Assembly) This type of government did not end for Ancient Athens! 

Forming the city-states A polis is a city-state and functioned like an independent country An acropolis is a fortified area usually on top of a hill The acropolis functioned as both a safe refuge and a religious center The agora is an open space used as both a market and place where people could meet, debate, and discuss important issues Citizenship means that if you were a citizen you have important rights and responsibilities towards your city-state Citizens should be treated equally