Ancient Greece. 8.2 Government in Athens. Essential Question: What factors shaped government in Greece?

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1 8.2 Government in Athens Essential Question: What factors shaped government in Greece? Ancient Greece Big Idea: The people of Athens tried many different forms of government before creating a democracy. Key Word Definition Memory Clue democracy A type of government in which people rule themselves aristocrats Rich landowners, who at one point governed Athens oligarchy A government in which only a few people have power citizens People who have the right to participate in government tyrant A leader who held power through the use of force Athenian tyrants were usually good leaders Pericles A brilliant, elected, Athenian leader who encouraged citizens to take pride in their city, participate in government, and introduce/spread democracy into other parts of Greece

2 A. Aristocrats and Tyrants Rule In early Athens, ruled the city- state. Later, a group of rich landowners, or aristocrats, took power. A government in which only a few people have power is called an. The aristocrats dominated Athenian society, ran the city s economy, and served as and. After a group of rebels failed to overthrow the aristocrats, a man named created a set of harsh laws for Athens. Since Draco s laws were too strict, a man named Solon created a more reasonable set of laws where all free men living in Athens became, or people who had the right to participate in government. Because Athenians were not pleased with the rule of the aristocrats, they wanted a new government, and so a noble named Peisistratus overthrew the oligarchy and became. Even though the modern meaning of the word tyrant means a ruler who is harsh, back in ancient Athens, it meant a leader who held through the use of. Often, tyrants were leaders and were able to stay in power because they had strong armies and the support of the people. Although Peisistratus brought and prosperity to Athens, the aristocrats were unhappy they lost power and so convinced a rival city- state to attack Athens. This worked for a short time to overthrow the tyrants and restore power to the.

3 Main Idea #1: aristocrats and tyrants ruled early athens. Q: What were Greek tyrants like? Q: Why was Athens considered at one point an oligarchy? Q: Why did many Athenians support the rule of tyrants? B. Athens Creates Democracy Greece is the birthplace of, a type of government in which people rule themselves. The word democracy comes from Greek words meaning rule of the. Around 500 BC, a new leader named Cleisthenes developed the world s democracy. Under Cleisthenes, all citizens in Athens had the right to participate in the assembly, or gathering of citizens, that created the city s. Citizens met outside on a hillside, voiced their opinions during debates, and voted by a show of or secret ballots. The assembly needed about 6,000 people to vote, which made it difficult to come to a decision. The Athenians therefore selected city officials who decided which laws should be discussed. As time passed, citizens gained more, including serving on juries. Athens reached its height during the rule of. He encouraged Athenians to participate in government to the point that he started paying officials. He also encouraged people to introduce to other parts of Greece. Eventually, Athenian democracy came to an end in the 320s BC after Athens was conquered by the Macedonians.

4 Main Idea #2: Athens created the world s first democracy. Q: Who was the father of democracy in Athens? Q: Why were slaves sent to round up citizens? Q: Why was a smaller council of officials necessary? C. Ancient Democracy Differs from Modern Democracy In Ancient Athens, citizens could participate in the government, affecting the outcome of a vote. This form of government is called democracy. Modern American democracy, on the other hand, is a democracy, or republic. In this system, the citizens elect officials to them in the government. These elected officials then meet to make the country s laws and to them.

5 Main Idea #3: ancient democracy was different than modern democracy. Q: What is a direct democracy? Q: How does a representative democracy work? Q: Why didn t the United States establish a direct democracy? Reading checks Q: What was a tyrant in ancient Greece? Q: How were citizens involved in the government of Athens? Q: How are direct democracy and representative democracy different?