The word “democracy” comes from the Greek words “demos” (people) and “kratia” (power or rule). So democracy literally means “people power”.
In the ancient world there were two main types of government: monarchies (rule by one person) and oligarchies (rule by a few people, as in Rome).
Both of these governments had their problems. In monarchies, the ruler often abused his power. In oligarchies, only the rich had a say in the government.
Athenian democracy was different. Here they had a form of government where all citizens had an equal say. This was a radical idea in ancient Greece, where most people were slaves or had no rights at all.
Athenian democracy developed slowly over many years, reaching its height under Pericles’ rule in the 4th century BC.
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How Did Democracy Work in Athens?
In Athens, all male citizens over the age of 20 were allowed to participate in the government. They did this by attending meetings of the assembly and voting on laws. They also served in juries and as magistrates (authorities).
Every citizen had the right to speak at assembly meetings and propose laws. However, not all laws that were proposed were put to a vote. Only a small group of officials called the Council could decide which laws would be voted on by the Assembly. This ensured that only serious proposals were considered.
The most important aspect of Athenian democracy was that it gave power to ordinary citizens instead of just aristocrats (wealthy landowners). This made Athens very different from other Greek city-states, which were ruled by elites. Ordinary citizens of Athens felt that they had a real influence on how their city-state was governed – something very rare in the ancient world.
Problems of Athenian Democracy
Despite its many innovations, Athenian democracy was far from perfect. A major problem arose from the structure itself: because only a small group of officials could decide which laws would be voted on by the assembly, this gave them a lot of power.
Nor was everyone allowed to participate in democracy. Women, children and slaves were excluded from citizenship and thus could not participate in the government. This meant that Athens was a democracy for adult male citizens only. Nevertheless, it was still more democratic than most other societies of its time.
Overall, the democracy of Athens is one of ancient Greece’s most enduring legacies. Although it had its faults, it nevertheless established some key principles that are still relevant today: equality, liberty, justice and law. It also showed that democracy is possible on a large scale – something people doubted at the time. For these reasons, it remains an important part of our history.