Classical Greece Part 1 The beginning of Democracy

The Greeks Recover from a Dark Age Greece and islands the Aegean Sea spend almost five hundred years in a dark age. They forgot how to write, or build plumbing etc. Eventually they learn to write again from the Phoenicians, a sea faring people (ca 800 BC) from the fertile crescent. They begin to rebuild as a group of prosperous but feuding city-states united by a common language. A people of islands and peninsulas the Greeks soon rivaled the Phoenicians at Sea (from 700 BC). The Greeks traded olive oil, wine, textiles and pottery from, their homeland as well as bronze, silver and gold throughout the Black and Mediterranean Sea

Trade brought: Luxury Goods and Wealth Ideas from all around the known world…allowing the Greeks to build on everyone’s knowledge Trade allowed the spread Greek ideas, culture and eventually the Greeks themselves. The City-states grew so much in wealth and population that soon they began to send out colonies Greek colonies were founded from modern France to Georgia (on the Black Sea), Southern Italy, Sicily and coastal modern Turkey soon became nearly completely “Hellenized”

A variety of Governments Each Greek city-state had its own unique government. Many, such as Thebes, were Monarchies Many, like Sparta, were Oligarchies In 800 BC Athens was a kingdom By 600 BC it was an Oligarchy

Democracy develops in Athens 631 BC Draco established a harsh law code Rule of Law is established But still Athens was Oligarchy and only the upper class could vote 594 BC Solon allowed all citizens to vote in the assembly, made land reforms and established jury trials…with appeal! He repealed Draco’s Harsh Code…except the law on Homicide But still only the upper class could hold high office 546 BC Peisistratus made radical land reform, the middle class grew 508 BC Cleisthenes made Athens truly Democratic by granting more power to the assembly using a lottery to pick the members of the Council of 500 who ran the government day to day

While reforms continued, by 500 BC in Athens: All Freeborn Athenian Males 18 or older who trained to be part of the army could vote on all major laws, and for the officers of the state. But was this a Democracy? To Vote you had to: Be an adult male No Women or Kids Be “Freeborn” No slaves or freed slaves Be trained and serve in the Army You had to be willing to fight(and perhaps die) for your country Be the child of parents born in Athens No foreigners As a result only about 20% of residents could vote!