Table of Contents
How does the Athenian democracy work?
Greek democracy created at Athens was direct, rather than representative: any adult male citizen over the age of 20 could take part, and it was a duty to do so. The officials of the democracy were in part elected by the Assembly and in large part chosen by lottery in a process called sortition.
How did Athens fall?
Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) Resentment by other cities at the hegemony of Athens led to the Peloponnesian War in 431, which pitted Athens and her increasingly rebellious sea empire against a coalition of land-based states led by Sparta. The war ended with the complete defeat of Athens in 404.
Who ruled Athens?
Athens did not have a king, it was ruled by the people as a democracy. The people of Athens believed that no one group of people should make the laws and so citizens could choose the government officials, and vote for or against new laws. The people of Athens chose their ruler.
In what way was Athenian democracy a direct democracy?
Lastly, Athenian democracy was a direct democracy, rather than a representative one, meaning that all citizens had to vote on every issue, rather than electing a representative that they believed would make good decisions, and leaving most decisions other than elections to the representative to decide.
What did Athens Value?
The Athenians valued education and the arts and believed that educated people made the best citizens.
Why did Sparta beat Athens?
The Spartans were jealous of the Athenians because the politician and general tasked with leading the Delian League — a coalition of a number of Greek city-states to protect Greece from the Persians — was Athenian, not Spartan.
What made Athens great?
Athens was the largest and most influential of the Greek city-states. It had many fine buildings and was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. The Athenians invented democracy, a new type of government where every citizen could vote on important issues, such as whether or not to declare war.