27 January 2017 EQ – How did Greece go from a monarchy to a democracy? Bellringer – Check atlas work from yesterday PowerPoint Notes on Government in Athens Packet page 5 & 6 HW : Read Chapter 8.2 – add to study guide Study guide due Thursday

Government in Athens Chapter 8.2

Birthplace of Democracy Greece is the birthplace of Democracy, a type of government in which people rule themselves The word democracy comes form Greek words meaning “rule of the people”

Rise of the Aristocrats In early Greece, kings ruled the city-state. (Monarchy) Later, a group of rich landowners, or aristocrats took power A government in which only a small group of people have power is called an oligarchy

Rise of the Aristocrats With the aristocrats controlling $ and now the government, the common people had little say in the government. In the 600s BC, a group of rebels tried to overthrow the aristocrats, but it didn’t work

Wreck it buy a new one….or…A man who would carry a Legalist Stick! Since the rebellion failed a man named Draco created a new set of harsh laws for Athens These laws were very harsh. Punishing minor crimes like loitering punishable by death.

Draco….out (Oligarchy still in) Draco’s laws were believed to be too harsh so a man named Solon created less harsh laws. Under Solon’s laws, all free men living in Athens became citizens: people who had the right to participate in government

Rise of Tyrants In 546 a noble named Peisistratus “overthrew” the oligarchy Peisistratus became the leader of Athens and was called a tyrant. A tyrant is, a leader who held power through the use of force According to Herodotus, Peisistratus came by chariot with “Athena” by his side – declaring he had her blessing (and protection) to rule Athens.

Tyrant what, tyrant who? Today the word tyrant is harsh but in ancient Greece the word had a very different meaning Tyrants in Athenian government were usually good leaders with strong armies and support from the people. Peisistratus brought peace and prosperity to the city starting new policies to unify the city, building temples and monuments. Reduced taxes Introduced concept of free loans to farmers Creates the path for Athens to dominate Greece

Sippin’ Haterade After Peisistratus died (c. 527 BC), his son, Hippias, took over as tyrant – no one was happy!  Continues father’s benevolent rule….for a while…until c. 514 BC – when brother is killed This makes him unhappy & everyone feels his wrath!

Sippin’ Haterade Cont. Aristocrats were unhappy because their power was gone (@ 510 BCE) Aristocrats overthrow Hippias & banish him Aristocrats back in control untill… ….back to a Tyrrany Isagoras (an Aristocrat) convinced a rival city-state (guess who…)to attack Athens and re-claimed their power Kicks out other Aristocrats (@ 700) Including Cleisthenes Rules from the acropolis with Spartans! Until common people revolt!

Democracy is created For the 1st time in history – people revolt against the government Around 510 BC a man named Cleisthenes gained power in Athens. (called out of exile) Despite coming from a rich family he felt that, aristocrats had too much influence With the support of the people he overthrew the aristocracy and established the world’s first democracy

Democracy under Cleisthenes All citizens had the right to participate in the assembly, or gathering of citizens that created the city’s laws. The assembly met outdoors on a hillside so everyone could attend

Democracy Cont. During meetings, people stood before the crowd and gave speeches on political issues. They were actually encouraged to do so… After speeches were over the assembly voted usually by show of hands, but sometimes secret ballots (black & white stones)

Voting The number of people who voted in assembly changed day to day For major decisions the assembly needed 6,000 people which wasn’t always easy to get Red rope attendance? What do you guess that is?

Too many People What do you think would be a problem with having a 6,000 person assembly? Athenians selected citizens to be city officials These city officials decided which laws the assembly should discuss Some times officials determined by lottery!

Changes in Athenian Democracy Citizens served on juries to decide court cases Juries had anywhere from 200 to 6,000 people

Pericles Led the government from 460 BC-429 BC To encourage people to participate in government he started to pay people who served in public offices or on juries He also encouraged the spread of democracy in Greece

Direct v. Representative Democracy

Direct v. Representative Democracy All citizens in Athens could participate directly in government What this means is a person’s decision directly affects the outcome of a vote The United States is too large for everyone to gather so we formed another kind of Democracy

Representative Democracy The democracy created by the United States is a representative democracy, or republic - a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law  “And, surprise, a representative democracy is a kind of republic. What distinguishes a republic is that it has an elected government. Representative democracies are, therefore, a kind of republic. Self-appointed governments such as monarchies, dictatorships, oligarchies, theocracies and juntas are not republics. However, this still allows for a wide spectrum.”

Representative Democracy In this system, citizens select officials to represent them in government Elected officials then meet to make up and enforce the country’s laws Americans elect senators and representatives to Congress who pass laws. We trust our chosen representatives to vote for us.