Two Types Of Athenian Democracy

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What is Democracy
A democracy is a form of government based on the rule of law, which grants the power to the people. (Ushistory.org, 2015) The term "democracy" comes from two Greek words: "demos," which means the people and "kratia,” which means power or authority. (Ushistory.org, 2015) The Athenian leader Cleisthenes, introduced Demokratia, or democracy, in 507 B.C. (HISTORY.com, 2015) While the rule of Athens would last only two centuries, the concept of democracy has resonated throughout the world. (HISTORY.com, 2015) Cleisthenes’ concept of democracy has been transformed since its inception. Currently there are two types of democracy. A direct democracy enables each citizen within the society to directly participate in the process of decision-making. (Troolin, 2015) A …show more content…

(Samons, 2004) The polis government structure was structured in three tiers, the people, magistrates and a small council. (Schmidt, 2002) In Athens, any male over 20 years old and of Athenian blood would convene to listen to politician and leaders. (Fordemocracy.com, 2015) The gathering was called an ekklesia and the meeting place was called an Agora. (Schmidt, 2002) Originally, nine chief magistrates were selected by election, but eventually, transitioned to a selection from a list of elected officials, which performed most of the executive functions for the polis. (Schmidt, 2002) The Athenian small counsel was called the Areopagus, which served as a high court and acted as an advisory board. (Schmidt, 2002) With the introduction of demokratia, Athens did away with the property ownership requirements that were seen in other Greek polis at the time. A very interesting concept of Athenian government is the practice of ostracism, which at least 6,000 voters would decide which political leader would be banished for 10 years. (Bbc.co.uk, 2015) The Athenian government model is an example of a direct

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