The early government of athens was ruled by the citizens. a king. a president. the parliment.

citizens.

The earliest forms of democracy are found in Greece, in the case of Athens, it is remarkable to note that citizens gathered in spaces and organized in consensus:

Athens was the cradle of democracy.

Important to keep in mind:

Citizenship was restricted, in this way citizens were only adult males, with military education

In Greek Magistrates, these were elected by draw.

Charges for adminstrating money were also voted, and given to priviliged high classes, in case there was misuse, all public charges were held accountable to the public.

Army generals were elected by voting, in other instances like the Athenian Assembly, there was a notion of voluntary participation in this institution.

This was a direct democracy in the sense that the citizenships physically went to the gatherings and organized most of politics.

The early government of Athens was ruled by the citizens. It was because Greece is the homeland of democracy where democracy means that the government is in the hand of citizens.  

EXPLANATION  

Yet, the journey of democracy in the Greek city-state was not as smooth as one might imagine. Some regions did not necessarily accept democracy. Even many Greeks considered it a bad idea.

Even Athens, the city where democracy was born, a group of wealthy landowners or aristocrats took power. A government with few people in power is called an oligarchy.

Over time, the Athenians felt displeased with the rules made by the nobles. They wanted a new government system. In 546 BC a nobleman named Peisistratus succeeded in overthrowing the oligarchy. He then became the ruler of Athens. So, Peisistratus was called a tyrant. Tyrant means a leader who holds power through the use of his power.

Nowadays, the word tyrant is experiencing a shift in meaning. Tyranny is now interpreted as a ruler who leads very hard, clearly different from the meaning of the word Tyranny in ancient Greece. The majority of tyrant leaders in Athens were good leaders, like Peisistratus who succeeded in bringing prosperity and peace. He began a new policy intended to unite the city. During his reign, he made many improvements. Among the policies favored by residents, were the procurement of festivals, construction of temples and monuments.

After Peisistratus died, his son continued the reigns of leadership. However, his leadership was torn apart by nobles who were displeased because their power was captured by Peisistratus. Some aristocrats even fought sheep to rival cities to attack Athens.  

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

•Why did direct democracy work for the ancient Greek city of Athens?  

KEYWORD: aristocrats, tyrant, democracy, Greece  

Subject: History

Class: 7 – 9

Subchapter: Government

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