Democracy In Ancient Greece

The Origin of Democracy

Democracy in ancient Greece was adopted at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War in 480 - 323 BC. There was great conflict in ancient Greece during this period between the Spartans and the Athenians. The Athenians dominated in most parts of Greece and they were the center of intellectual ideas. It was the Persian adviser of Herodutos who urged the latter to adopt democracy in ancient Greece as the form of government. Democracy is coined from the words demos, meaning "the people of the country", and krateo which means, "rule". The aim of the Athenian democracy in ancient Greece is to promote equality under the law.

However, democracy in ancient Greece had various interpretations coming from different ancient personalities. Aristotle believed that public office must only be given to those who have spare time to pursue their integrity. In lieu of this, the process of choosing public officials in the Athenian democracy in ancient Greece was made by lots especially for the Council (or boule) positions. Each boule was a representative from each of the ten Athenian tribes. A citizen can decline from public office if he wished to. The council was composed of 500 members who were likewise selected by lot. Male citizens above 30 years old were eligible for the Council seat.

In order for laws to be relevant to all citizens, written laws were posted in the Agora (literal meaning: assembly place) for everyone to read. The Athenian democracy in ancient Greece believes that it is only through awareness of the law that citizens, both the weak and the prosperous, can be equal in justice.

The Athenian democracy in ancient Greece bore in mind the power of the magistrates, which consisted of nine archons, might be a threat to democracy. The nine archons consisted of the eponymous archon, the archon king, the polemarch, and the six thesmothetai were selected annually and can hold an office only once in his lifetime. To contain their powers, the citizens were allowed to choose the archons by lots. This aspect of democracy in ancient Greece lessened the likelihood of nobles who had seats in public office, like Cleisthenes, to abuse their power.

Another concern for the Athenian democracy in ancient Greece was on the selection of the generals. The Athenians elected their generals. Pericles was a general for fifteen consecutive years because generals were allowed to repeatedly hold an office as long as he was in essence a reliable man and a military science expert. Generals were never allowed to be commander-in-chief of any expedition. Military decisions come up to a consensus only upon consultation of the generals. By this time, war was more common than peace itself.

The democracy in ancient Greece created the Assembly (the ecclesia) as the highest decision-making body of the land. The Assembly gathered and met on a hill about 500 meters west of the Acropolis called Pnyx. The ecclesia needed 6,000 men, 18 years old and above, to reach a quorum.

Democracy in ancient Greece contributed much to the ways of government adopted in many nations around the world in the contemporary times. This form of government is only one of the many contributions of Greece to the modern world.