Turning Points in History: Athenian Democracy

In honor of the Iranian Uprising...(unless they decide to after the Mullahs and the Military switches sides, that revolt will probably fail)...

But, I digress, here's a brief look at Athenian Democracy...

Athenian Democracy did not appear over night. It evolved out of social unrest between social classes. As a result, Solon emerged to fix those tensions. He compromised between the demands of the people and the demands of the aristocrats. Solon created a governmental system based on wealth as opposed to birth. However, most leaders were those old aristocrats, but anyone could emerge to be a leader under this system if they had the money. In the old system, a person would have to be a Kennedy or Roosevelt to participate. In the new system, Bill Gates could participate as well.

From Solon, Athens evolved into a direct democracy. People represented themselves as opposed to voting on representatives. Everyone voted and participated. Those that refused to participate were punished. The system was open to all adult male citizens of Athens. The main flaw in the system was it’s susceptibility to the passions of the people. Great orators often swayed the electorate into following their policies even when those policies made little logical sense. Alcibiades provides the best example as he convinced Athens to resume a costly war with Sparta.

Athens’ democratic system remained intact until the Spartans temporarily replaced it. An oligarchy ruled for about a year before being overthrown. Democracy returned until the Macedonian Conquest in 322 BC. After the Roman conquest, a localized version of democracy existed in Athens for a time before being extinguished until the modern era. Athenian Democracy (and the Roman Republic) became an inspiration for America’s Founding Fathers, but they also learned from Athenian (and Roman) mistakes.