How Democratic Was The Government Of Periclean Athens?

1. How democratic was the government of Periclean Athens?

�Democracy is the worst form of government except all the other forms that have been tried from time to time’, Winston Church Speech, UK House of Commons (1947). Democracy derived from the Greek word kratos meaning �rule by the demos’, rule by the people is an internationally recognised and universally understood word which seems to captivate and intrigue the minds of the oppressed and to represent the prosperity of the Wealthy, (Heywood. A, politics, 2002). Democracy as we know and live today has evolved and diversified since its first documented existence and practice in Periclean Athens of the 4th Century BC.

How democratic was the Government of Periclean Athens evokes the need to identify the key features of a democratic state and the contrast between those key features and the practices within Athenian Democracy. This method of political rule is centred around the citizens of the state as Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address so famously encapsulated �government of the people, by the people, for the people’, (Heywood. A, politics, 2002). The concept of the citizen or the people is seen as the majority of society, the mass of society which should benefit from the economical and social policies enforced by the democratic Governmental system. Democracy is therefore seen as a political theory based on the concept of improvement for the majority of society and improved living standards for all of societies citizens. Periclean Athens consisted of a direct democratic system where by direct involvement in decisions and policies were made in contrast to the representative democratic political systems that exist today. The majority of Athenian society ruling and implementing policies and undertaking military decisions were concepts Aristotle and Plato found difficult to digest as they saw ruling by the majority of society to be at a cost and the detriment of the minority wealthy and philosophically wise sector of the state. However Periclean Athens concept of direct democracy where by each individual Male Athenian had direct participation in legislative and judicial decisions may not in modern terms be described as quite so democratic and equal.

Citizenry was granted on the bases of being male, over 20 years and the undeniable legitimacy of being purely Athenian, the Assembly which was a sovereign body consisted of 6,000 citizens which met 40 times a year and for other extraordinary session when needed . The council of 500 was an executive committee of the Assembly and the Committee of 50 guided and composed motions for the council, the Committee was lead by the President of the Committee who’s office was held only for one day. The Athenian democratic system was also composed of magistrates, the courts and military generals, (Held D, Models of Democracy, 1987). Therefore it appears the citizens of Periclean Athens fulfilled the democratic characteristic of rule by the majority, however it is in this very characteristic the first difficulty arises whether or not Periclean Athens was truly a democratic society. The women , the slaves and the none Athenian people of Periclean Athens did not however qualify for citizenry nor were they ever given the opportunity to exercise any of their political rights or political desires. The limits of citizenry qualifications in Periclean Athens can in a way be contrasted to the limitations endured by Irish citizens under the age of 18 years and Irish residents without Irish citizenship in our democratic society today who are not permitted to vote within our political system. These limitations are inevitable in a society to ensure the legitimacy and seriousness of participating in a democratic political state and practicing in the processes of election and referendums whether are not it is a direct democracy or a representative democracy. This direct democracy led to an involvement in political decision making for the State in such a personal, direct and involving manner, citizens were constantly proposing and opposing policies and legislation the result of which was an intense and precise involvement of all citizens in all matters of the state. � I want to stress something , very positive, namely the intense degree of involvement which attendance at the Athenian Assembly entailed’, (Finley .M.I , Democracy Ancient and Modern, 1969 pg 60).

This direct involvement and intense approach to decision making for the state was where it was believed true happiness, contentedness and salvation was to be found. ’Athenian democracy was marked by a general commitment to the principle of civic virtue: dedication to the republican city-state and the subordination of private life to public affairs and the common good. ’The public ’ and ’the private’ were intertwined, although, as Pericles points out, tolerance is essential in order that people can enjoy themselves ’in their own way’. None the less, Athenian democrats tended to the view that ’ the virtue of the individual is the same as the virtue of the citizen’(Lee, 1974 pg 32),[ Held. D, Models of Democracy, 1987]. Therefore Periclean Athens was democratic in that political rule was by the people for the people.

Another key feature of democracy is the ’assembly of citizens has sovereign power’ and �the scope of the sovereign power to include all the common affairs of the city’, (Held .D , Models of Democracy, 1987, pg 27). Periclean Athens was a very dominant ruling assembly whereby control and power over military decisions and advancements were made by the direct involvement of the citizens of the assembly, economic and social policies composed and proposed by the citizens of the assembly and all issues of the state discussed in an open forum the result of which shows that Periclean Athens was indeed in the classical form a Democracy.

When identifying a democratic state one issue which may prevail is to what extent should a democracy influence and rule an individual citizens daily life and when does this influence and control go beyond the boundaries of democracy. Today in our democracy slavery is illegal, it is a distant memory in history of a brutal and inhuman practice, this unfortunately

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