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An essay on greek democracy
An essay on greek democracy
An essay on greek democracy
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Form of Government in Greek
University of the People
HIST 1421: GREEK AND ROMAN CIVILIZATION
The Ancient Greek had different states with different forms of government including, monarchy, aristocracy, democracy, and tyranny. However, in this essay, the author will discuss the features of these types of government and compare them with one another. The Monarchy is a special form of governance which govern by a king. In Greek language monos and arkhein. The king receives his power legitimately and it hereditary type of power. Moreover, in monarchy type of government, the ruling power is in the hands of a single person. Most of the monarchies have a king who holds the mantle of leadership with the assistance
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One of the main features of this state was that the power was in the hand of wealthy families, and the main disadvantage of this type of government was that not all the citizen were able to participate in the government structure. The Tyranny form of government in other hand was a government which was in the hands of individuals who take the control by legal means. This type of government is a bit similar to monarchy. In tyranny government, if the leader did not take power legally he would not be able to claim any right to the throne. Moreover, Tyrants usually did not pass power to their son. The democratic government was a government which was in hand of the people. In Greek, it means demos and kartos which stands for people and power. This form of government started by Kleisthenes in Athens. According to Cartledge (2011), the democracy is a principle which is based on the principle that all the male citizens with properties have the right to engage in the assembly. Then, people take control of the affairs of the state through the people’s
The ancient Greek word "demokratia" was ambiguous. It met literally "people power". But who were the people to whom the power of the long? Was it all the people -all duly qualified citizens? Or only some of the people -- the masses? The Greek word demos could mean either. There is a theory that the word demokratia was claimed by democracy's enemies, members of the rich and aristocratic elite who did not like being outvoted by the common herd, their social and economic inferiors. If this theory is right, democracy must originally have meant something like "mob rule" or "dictatorship of the proletariat".
Firstly it’s important to understand the meaning of a monarchy. A monarchy is a supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person. Ancient Greece at the time rarely had monarchies and if they did it was in the form of a tyranny where the ruler would have little interest in the people. Spartan was known for it’s two king rule and monarchies did exist but they shared power with the states and two of the famous ones are of Macedonia and Epeiros. Not all monarchs had absolute power especially at the times when in war which was led by Spartan army. Spartan Kings could be put on
At the top of this government was the royal family, headed by a king. They had a hierarchy throughout the land, and maintained control through the use of their army.
With a dictionary definition (cited above), there is little end result between all definitions besides democracy. monarchy, oligarchy, aristocracy, tyranny all translate to few people or individual(s) ruling with power. Indeed, aristocracy and oligarchy are synonymous within this definition, as well as monarchy, aristocracy, and tyranny. The former being ruled by groups while the latter in definition are ruled by individuals. Not much difference.
Monarchy is a method where a single person oversees the government. This head of state reigns within bounds of a constitution but still creates a single entity with extreme power. Personal beliefs often override best practices.
Democracy is a Greek word meaning “rule by the people.” The idea of a democratic government began in Greece in 700 B.C, about twenty-five hundred years ago. Rome was so large that not everyone could play a role in government so the Roman citizens elected representatives to speak and act for them. This form of government was called a republic. The United States has a representative form of government.
A system of government in which one person reigns, usually a king or queen. The authority, or crown, in a monarchy is generally inherited by the eldest son. The ruler, or monarch, is often only the head of state, not the head of governme
Democracy is the structure of government still used today in many countries.The definition of democracy is a system of government where people who rule directly are freely elected representatives.In addition, democracy comes from the Greek word demokratia. Demo meaning people and kratia meaning power of rule. For instance, here is an example, Great Britain has a democratic government since elected officials and laws are voted on by the people and also the representatives they elect. Therefore Athens exemplifies a democratic government. “Athenians would meet and vote on a simple question …. is anyone becoming a threat to democracy? If a simple majority voted yes,then they dispersed and reassembled two months later,
The term democracy is ambiguous, but Abraham Lincoln (1863) defines it as the “government of the people, by the people and for the people.” This modern take of democracy should guarantee basic personal and political rights to every individual person, everywhere, every day. Josiah Ober (2007, p.4) points out that “the Greek word dêmokratia conjoins kratos, a term for ‘power’, and dêmos, a term for ‘the people’.” It therefore means ‘power of the people’. But the Athenians did not call it democracy at the time, “they called it ‘isonomia’ or “equality in law”, writes Bernard Randall (2004, p.86). The earliest forms of democracy were formed by the ancient Greeks around 510 B.C in Athens.
These governments came in different styles such as a monarchy which was led by a king. Another form of government that was seen among the Greeks was aristocracy in which the polis was ruled by a small group of noble, land owning families. One of the more notable polis of ancient Greek was that of Sparta in which they used the oligarchy as there form of government. This type of government is where the people are ruled by a few powerful people. Finally, there was democracy which means “rule of the people” (The Legacy of Ancient Greece and Rome 1-7). This was the government that Athens utilized and helped establish. These varying types of government can be seen throughout governments today, however, it is the government established by the Athenians and their political structure that had a greater impact on the west than that of its Greek polis counterparts.
Democracy was a revolutionary development for the Ancient Greek society it was an innovative idea which gave the citizens of Ancient Greeks the freedom to participate in the governmental system and contribute in the processes and decisions, this in turn helped Ancient Greece succeed politically and economically. This democratic society not only helped Greece succeed in the Mediterranean region but also influenced modern day society. The Ancient Greeks succeeded significantly and were highly advanced for this period, the progressive thoughts and ideas demonstrated by individuals in this society contributed to the development of democracy in Athens which has become one of the most beneficial forms of government created.
One of the contemporary definitions of democracy today is as follows: “Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives; Rule by the majority” (“Democracy” Def.1,4). Democracy, as a form of government, was a radical idea when it manifested; many governments in the early history of the world were totalitarian or tyrannical in nature, due to overarching beliefs that the strong ruled over the weak.
This week’s written assignment is to compare and contrast monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy as forms of government in Ancient Greek city-states. I will address each form of government, providing examples of each and will include applicable comparisons and/or contrasts.
The Greeks system of democracy was an entirely new concept when it was created, and one that has had lasting affects as it continues to influence present day politics around the globe. Modern day democracies may very well not exist if it wasn’t for the success the Athenians had with democracy. Today we look back at these ancient civilizations and we try to better our current society by learning from their mistakes and building on their success.
Democracy refers to a system of governance in which the supreme powers are vested in the hands of people and is exercised by them indirectly or directly through a system of representation which involves periodic free and fair elections (http://www.zesn.org.zw/publications/publication_280.pdf). Most importantly, the rule of is needed to ensure that governors are held accountable through elections that are free and fair (Rose, R 2009)