How did ancient Greek democracy work?

Democracy in Ancient Greece was very direct. What this means is that all the citizens voted on all the laws. Rather than vote for representatives, like we do, each citizen was expected to vote for every law. They did have officials to run the government, however.

Why did direct democracy work in ancient Athens?

(1.2) Why did direct democracy work for the ancient Greek city of Athens? Athens had a small population. (1.2) What is the main difference between federal and confederal systems of government? In a federal system there is centralized authority, while in a confederal system power is distributed equally among the states.

How was Athens governed?

Athenian democracy
AristocracyDirect democracy
Classical Athens/Government

What are the 3 pillars of Athenian democracy?

The three pillars of democracy were: the Assembly of the Demos, the Council of 500, and the People’s Court. These were supplemented by the Council of the Areopagus, the Archons, and the Generals.

How did democracy develop in Athens?

The first known democracy in the world was in Athens. Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century B.C.E. When a new law was proposed, all the citizens of Athens had the opportunity to vote on it. To vote, citizens had to attend the assembly on the day the vote took place.

How did Athens become a democracy?

Why was Athenian democracy so groundbreaking?

Athenian democracy was so groundbreaking because it made politics the business of every male citizen, not just a few. Under this system, all male citizens had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in the political sphere.

Why was Athens not a full democracy?

Athens was not a full democracy because most people were not considered citizens and, therefore, could not vote.

What are the characteristics of the Athenian democracy?

Athenian democracy refers to the system of democratic government used in Athens, Greece from the 5th to 4th century BCE. Under this system, all male citizens – the dēmos – had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in the political arena.

Why did Athens adopt democracy?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Athenian democracy?

Some of the strengths of Athenian democracy include making decisions based on the opinions of many rather than a few, giving responsibility to more citizens and making records available for public examination. Weaknesses include the voters’ ability to make poor decisions…

What is the difference between Athenian democracy and American democracy?

One major difference is the Athenian ”men only” policy. Unlike today’s democracy allows both eligible men and women to vote. The Athenian democracy was a certain selected element of the population who was allowed to vote.

Athens became the first democracy in the world in 508 BC.. Athens was once ruled by kings and nobles. As time went on the ruling class was replaced by a series of men called tyrants, men who forced their way to power and became dictators.

What was the significance of Athenian democracy?

Athenian Democracy. Definition. Athens in the 5th to 4th century BCE had an extraordinary system of government: democracy. Under this system, all male citizens had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in the political arena.