ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY
2. Quick Intro to Athenian Democracy (Resources)
- PowerPoint
- In the 6th century BCE, Athens was the site of ongoing fighting between the rich Athenians, who controlled the government, and poor Athenians, who were farmers and merchants.
- In 508 BCE, a wealthy Athenian named Cleisthenes rose to power in the city-state. The following year, he introduced a system known as democracy.
- Slide 3: Definition of Democracy. A democracy is a form of government where political power comes from citizens. The word comes from the Greek demokratia. Demo means “the people,” and kratia means “power” or “rule.” Athenian democracy was a direct democracy. This means that citizens were allowed to vote directly on laws and government actions. This is different from a representative democracy, in which citizens elect officials to vote on laws.
- Slide 4: Athenian Democracy. The Athenian democratic government was divided into three branches:
- the Ekklesia, the Boule, and the Dikasteria.
- i. The Ekklesia was Athens’s main governing body and made the most important decisions, including voting on laws, deciding whether to go to war, and determining foreign policy. Any Athenian citizen could attend and vote in the Ekklesia, which met 40 times per year. Decisions required a simple majority to pass.
- i. The Boule was a council made up of 500 men (50 from each of the 10 Athenian tribes). These men were chosen by lottery and served oneyear terms. The Boule made decisions about day-to-day government and decided what issues should go in front of the Ekklesia.
- iii. The Dikasteria, or court, was made up of 500 men over 30 years old, who were chosen by lottery. They decided legal cases by majority rule. There were no official police or lawyers. Athenian citizens served in these roles instead.
- d. Slide 5: Central Historical Question. Now that we’ve learned a little about the structure of the Athenian government, we’re going to focus for the rest of the lesson on this Central Historical Question: Was ancient Athens truly democratic? You’re going to carefully read several sources about this topic and, eventually, engage with your peers in a dialogue about the question.
- the Ekklesia, the Boule, and the Dikasteria.
3. Group Work:
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