Political and philosophical contributions to modern democracy.

Ancient Greeks600 BCE-300 BCE

Direct Democracy…what is this?

Political Contributions—direct democracy

Why does direct democracy NOT work in our modern society?

Why would elections be UNnecessary in a direct democracy?

What are the benefits to a direct democracy?What are the negative aspects?

Political Contributions—direct democracy

Greeks had “city-states” due to geographic boundaries Each “polis” had its own government, usually:

Tyranny of one or a few rules Aristocratic councils Direct democracy

Sparta had a military aristocracy Athens - more diverse commercial state that was proud of its

artistic and intellectual leadership Can you name any other Greek polis’? Can you name any modern city-states?

Concept of “citizenship” “demos” means the people Each citizen had rights AND obligations Definition of citizen was quite different than we are used to

Property owning, “free” males, over 21 Only 1/1oth of population qualified

Political Contributions

Greek City-states or polis’

Solon (594 BCE) ReformsOutlawed slavery based on debt & cancelled farmers’ debts.

What was the reason and effect of this?Established classes of citizens based on wealth instead of

heredity. What is the difference?Citizens could bring charges against wrongdoers.Council of Four HundredAll resulted in increased participation in government

Cleisthenes (508 BCE) Reforms Reorganized assemble to balance power w/ rich & poorAllow all citizens submit laws for debateEstablished Council of Five Hundred

Chosen at random among citizens to set assembly agendaResult was 1/5th of population now citizens

Political Contributions

Persian Wars of (490-479 BCE) brought all polis’ together to defend against Persian Empire & Xerxes.

Pericles (461-429 BCE) ReformsIncreased paid public officials & began paying

jurors.What was the intended effect of this?

Increased participation in gov’t more than any other polis, ushering in “direct democracy”.

Decline of Athenian DemocracyPeloponnesian War (431-404 BCE)

Sparta & Athens basically cripple each others power and culture leaving a void to be filled by Alexander the Great and ultimately the Romans

Political Contributions

Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE)

Make a list of the Greek political contributions to our modern democracy.

Make a list of 5 vocab words from this discussion.

Turn to your partner and define orally each of the words on their list…then have them do the same for yours.

Political Contributions

Major philosophers Socrates (469-399 BCE)—question conventional ideas of gov’t &

religion by using “reason” & “logic” Developed Socratic method of Q & A

Plato (427-347 BCE)—student of Socrates Wrote The Republic that outlined a vision for a perfectly governed

society run by philosopher kings Governed by the wise, not the rich

Aristotle (384-322 BCE)—student of Plato Wrote Politics & Ethics that examined the nature of the world and

human beliefs, thought, and knowledge. “Man is by nature a political animal; it is his nature to live in a state” What does that mean?

Moderation and balance in human behavior, similar to Confucious Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE)—student of Aristotle

“Hellenism”—spread of Greek ideas, gov’t, language, culture, architecture throughout AfroEuroAsia

Philosophical Contributions

Greek Philosophers

Major PhilosophiesUsed logic & reason to examine the nature of the

universeDoes the sun rise/set because of gods or laws of nature?

Applied “laws of nature” to man Humans behave in an understandable and predictable wayStressed the importance and capability of the individual

Examined issues of morality to apply to gov’t and societyWays that people should act, not because of the gods, but

because that would benefit Greece & GreeksHow are these ideas present in our modern

democracy? Why are they so fundamentally important?

Philosophical Contributions

Architecture—columns Literature—Illiad, Oddysey Plays: tragedies & comedies—Sophocles Geometry & anatomy—Hypocrates, Euclid

Other Greek contributions

With your partner, work out a list of all the contributions the Greek provided to a modern democracy. These can be concrete or abstract!!!

Once complete, turn to page 8. Examine the Venn Diagram at the bottom and add these ideas to both of your lists

Greek Legacy on Modern Democracy

No single Greek political style, but democracy is the most famous.

Classical Mediterranean political theory involved: Ethics 3 branches of government duties of citizens skills, such as oratory.

an intense loyalty to the state, a preference for aristocratic rule, and the development of a uniform set of legal principles.

Governments supported an official religion, but tolerance of other faiths was the norm

Greek Legacy