DOCSLIB.ORG

Chapter Summary: Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Chapter Summary: Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States Chapter Summary: Sparta and Athens Key Terms *Tyrant: someone who takes power by force and rules with authority *Oligarchy: rule by the few *Democracy: citizen-run government *Helot: workers captured and enslaved by the Spartans *Polis: Greek city-state Drawing From Experience Most people experience power struggles in their daily lives. Sometimes, a bully uses force to get his way. Or a group of popular friends can set trends by excluding others. Often, different kinds of people can band together when they become unhappy with a “leader.” In the previous section, you learned about the geography of Greece. In this section, you will learn how two Greek city-states found different methods of running— and changing—their governments. Tyranny in the City-States Tyrants were able to seize power from the nobles with the support of Greek farmers, merchants, and artisans. Small farmers often needed money to support themselves & their families until they could harvest and sell their crops. They borrowed this money from the nobles. If the farmers could not pay their debts on time, the nobles took their land. Many farmers lost their land. They had to work directly for the nobles or become city laborers. Desperate farmers sometimes sold themselves into slavery. By 650 B.C., small farmers joined merchants and artisans in demanding change. Merchants and artisans had become wealthy through trade. But they did not own land. Therefore, they could not become citizens. They had no voice in running the polis. This unrest led to the rise of tyrants. A tyrant is someone who takes power by force and rules with total authority. Today we think of tyrants as being harsh. Early Greek tyrants were wise and fair. They built new market places, temples, and walls. Still, most Greeks wanted to be citizens and participate in government. By 500 B.C, most city-states had gotten rid of the tyrants. Two new types of government arose. The first was oligarchy, in which a few people hold power. The second was democracy, where the government is run by its citizens. Sparta had an oligarchy. Athens had a democracy. They were both powerful Greek city-states. Sparta The Spartans focused on military skills to control the people they conquered. Like other city-states, Sparta needed more land as it grew. Unlike other city-states, Sparta did not set up colonies. Instead, Spartans conquered and enslaved their neighbors. They called their slaves helots. Why Was the Military So Important? Spartans worried that the helots might rebel. So the government set up strict military training. At age seven, boys went to live in army barracks. They were toughened with harsh treatment. At age 20, Spartan men entered the army and stayed for ten years. Only then, could they return home. But they stayed in the army until age 60. All were expected to win or die on the battlefield. Girls kept fit by running, wrestling, and throwing long, thin spears called javelins. Wives stayed home while their husbands lived in the barracks. As a result, Spartan women were freer than other Greek women. They could own property and go where they pleased. What Was Sparta’s Government Like? Under the Spartan oligarchy, two kings headed a council of elders. The council’s function was to present laws to an assembly. It included 28 citizens over age 60. All Spartan men over age 30 belonged to an assembly. They voted on council law. They also chose five people to be ephors. An ephor enforced laws and managed tax collection. The government adopted several policies to keep people from questioning their system, including: • limiting foreign visitors • banning travel abroad • discouraging the study of literature and the arts. The Spartans successfully controlled the helots for almost 250 years. But their focus on the military came at a price. They fell behind other Greeks in trade. Their knowledge of science and other subjects was poor. Still, their soldiers would play a key role in defending Greece. Athens Unlike Spartans, Athenians were more interested in building a democracy than building a military force. What Was Life in Athens Like? Athens was at least a two-day trip from Sparta. The governments of the two city- states were very different. In Athens, citizens raised their children under a different set of values. In schools, one teacher taught reading, writing, and math. Another teacher led sports activities. A third focused on music. This included singing and playing a stringed instrument called a lyre. As you can tell, Athenians believed in creating well-rounded citizens (in both body and mind). At age 18, boys finished school and became citizens. Girls stayed at home. The girls’ mothers taught them household duties like spinning and weaving linen & cloth. Some wealthy families taught their daughters to read, write, and play the lyre. A Budding Democracy During the 600’s B.C, landowning nobles ruled Athens. Then, farmers began to rebel. They demanded an end to all debts, and land for the poor. The nobles knew they were in trouble. So in 594 B.C., they called upon a noble named Solon. This man was trusted by both sides. Solon acted swiftly. First, he cancelled all debts. He also freed farmers who were forced to become slaves. Then he allowed all male citizens to participate in the assembly and law courts. Solon’s reforms were popular among common people. But they did not address one key issue: Solon refused to give away wealthy nobles’ land. After Solon, 30 years of turmoil gripped Athens. Finally, a tyrant named Peisistratus seized power in 560 B.C. He did several things to win support of the poor. He divided large estates among landless farmers. He also loaned money to the poor. And he gave them jobs building temples and other public works. The next important leader was Cleisthenes. When he took power in 508 B.C., he reorganized the assembly to play a central role. Now, members had new powers. They could participate in open debate, hear court cases, and appoint army generals. Cleisthenes also created a new 500-citizen assembly to conduct daily business. This council proposed laws, dealt with foreign countries, and oversaw the treasury. The new council was an important development for democracy. Athenians chose its members by lottery each year. They believed this system was fairer because an election might favor the rich. Cleisthenes’ reforms did not bring women, foreign-born men, and slaves into the political process. Still, he is credited with bringing democracy to Athens. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Freedom Or Theocracy?: Constitutionalism in Afghanistan and Iraq Hannibal Travis
    Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights Volume 3 | Issue 1 Article 4 Spring 2005 Freedom or Theocracy?: Constitutionalism in Afghanistan and Iraq Hannibal Travis Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njihr Recommended Citation Hannibal Travis, Freedom or Theocracy?: Constitutionalism in Afghanistan and Iraq, 3 Nw. J. Int'l Hum. Rts. 1 (2005). http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njihr/vol3/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights by an authorized administrator of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. Copyright 2005 Northwestern University School of Law Volume 3 (Spring 2005) Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights FREEDOM OR THEOCRACY?: CONSTITUTIONALISM IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ By Hannibal Travis* “Afghans are victims of the games superpowers once played: their war was once our war, and collectively we bear responsibility.”1 “In the approved version of the [Afghan] constitution, Article 3 was amended to read, ‘In Afghanistan, no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam.’ … This very significant clause basically gives the official and nonofficial religious leaders in Afghanistan sway over every action that they might deem contrary to their beliefs, which by extension and within the Afghan cultural context, could be regarded as
    [Show full text]
  • Sorcerer's Apprentices
    Faculty & Research The Spirit of Despotism: Understanding the Tyrant Within by M. Kets de Vries 2004/17/ENT Working Paper Series The Spirit of Despotism: Understanding the Tyrant Within Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries* * Raoul de Vitry d’Avaucourt Clinical Professor of Leadership Development, INSEAD, France & Singapore. Director, INSEAD’s Global Leadership Centre. 1 Abstract The objective of this article is to better understand the developmental history of despotic regimes and the existence of leadership by terror. To gain greater insight into this phenomenon, the unusual relationship between leaders and followers in despotic regimes is explored, and the self-destructive cycle that characterizes such regimes is examined. The price paid in the form of human suffering and the breakdown of the moral fabric of a society is highlighted. In this article, particular attention is paid to highly intrusive totalitarian regimes. The levers used by such regimes to consolidate their power base are discussed in detail. The role of ideology, the enforcement of mind-control, the impact of the media, the inception of the illusion of solidarity, and the search for scapegoats are part of the review. Finally, suggestions are made on how to prevent despotic leaders from gaining a hold on power. Observations are made about the newly founded International Criminal Court, a permanent international judicial body that has been specially set up to try despotic rulers for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. KEY WORDS: Despotism; tyrant; leadership; totalitarianism; autocracy; tyranny; dictatorship; societal regression; democracy; paranoia; narcissism; scapegoat; ideology; mind-control; aggression; violence; sadism; terror; genocide; war; crimes against humanity; war criminal; International Criminal Court.
    [Show full text]
  • The Roles of Solon in Plato's Dialogues
    The Roles of Solon in Plato’s Dialogues Dissertation Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Samuel Ortencio Flores, M.A. Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Bruce Heiden, Advisor Anthony Kaldellis Richard Fletcher Greg Anderson Copyrighy by Samuel Ortencio Flores 2013 Abstract This dissertation is a study of Plato’s use and adaptation of an earlier model and tradition of wisdom based on the thought and legacy of the sixth-century archon, legislator, and poet Solon. Solon is cited and/or quoted thirty-four times in Plato’s dialogues, and alluded to many more times. My study shows that these references and allusions have deeper meaning when contextualized within the reception of Solon in the classical period. For Plato, Solon is a rhetorically powerful figure in advancing the relatively new practice of philosophy in Athens. While Solon himself did not adequately establish justice in the city, his legacy provided a model upon which Platonic philosophy could improve. Chapter One surveys the passing references to Solon in the dialogues as an introduction to my chapters on the dialogues in which Solon is a very prominent figure, Timaeus- Critias, Republic, and Laws. Chapter Two examines Critias’ use of his ancestor Solon to establish his own philosophic credentials. Chapter Three suggests that Socrates re- appropriates the aims and themes of Solon’s political poetry for Socratic philosophy. Chapter Four suggests that Solon provides a legislative model which Plato reconstructs in the Laws for the philosopher to supplant the role of legislator in Greek thought.
    [Show full text]
  • Separation of Powers: the Phenomenon of Legislative Courts
    Indiana Law Journal Volume 42 | Issue 2 Article 1 Winter 1967 Separation of Powers: The heP nomenon of Legislative Courts Edwin H. Greenebaum University of Arkansas W. Willard Wirtz U.S. Labor Department Follow this and additional works at: http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj Part of the Courts Commons, and the Legislation Commons Recommended Citation Greenebaum, Edwin H. and Wirtz, W. Willard (1967) "Separation of Powers: The heP nomenon of Legislative Courts," Indiana Law Journal: Vol. 42 : Iss. 2 , Article 1. Available at: http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj/vol42/iss2/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Journals at Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Indiana Law Journal by an authorized editor of Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INDIANA LAW JOURNAL Volume 42 Winter 1967 Number 2 SEPARATION OF POWERS: THE PHENOMENON OF LEGISLATIVE COURTS EDWIN H. GREENEBAUM t W. WILLARD WIRTZ t Federal legislative courts are tribunals which hear, decide, and ren- der binding judgments in "cases" and "controversies" which may be constitutionally entertained by courts established pursuant to the third article of the Constitution,' but whose judges do not enjoy the salary and tenure guaranties provided by article III. These tribunals sometimes act in non-judicial ways, performing legislatively assigned tasks which cannot be performed by article III courts, but when legislative courts do act in a judicial manner their judgments are directly reviewable by the Supreme Court.2 The Supreme Court has recognized the constitu- tional existence of such tribunals in several cases,' but the opinions in those cases have not produced clarity as to how legislative courts can be permitted in a government with a constitutional separation of powers or as to whether there are any constitutional limitations on what matters Congress may entrust to legislative courts to the exclusion of any orig- inal juridiction in article III or state courts.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient History Sourcebook: 11Th Brittanica: Sparta SPARTA an Ancient City in Greece, the Capital of Laconia and the Most Powerful State of the Peloponnese
    Ancient History Sourcebook: 11th Brittanica: Sparta SPARTA AN ancient city in Greece, the capital of Laconia and the most powerful state of the Peloponnese. The city lay at the northern end of the central Laconian plain, on the right bank of the river Eurotas, a little south of the point where it is joined by its largest tributary, the Oenus (mount Kelefina). The site is admirably fitted by nature to guard the only routes by which an army can penetrate Laconia from the land side, the Oenus and Eurotas valleys leading from Arcadia, its northern neighbour, and the Langada Pass over Mt Taygetus connecting Laconia and Messenia. At the same time its distance from the sea-Sparta is 27 m. from its seaport, Gythium, made it invulnerable to a maritime attack. I.-HISTORY Prehistoric Period.-Tradition relates that Sparta was founded by Lacedaemon, son of Zeus and Taygete, who called the city after the name of his wife, the daughter of Eurotas. But Amyclae and Therapne (Therapnae) seem to have been in early times of greater importance than Sparta, the former a Minyan foundation a few miles to the south of Sparta, the latter probably the Achaean capital of Laconia and the seat of Menelaus, Agamemnon's younger brother. Eighty years after the Trojan War, according to the traditional chronology, the Dorian migration took place. A band of Dorians united with a body of Aetolians to cross the Corinthian Gulf and invade the Peloponnese from the northwest. The Aetolians settled in Elis, the Dorians pushed up to the headwaters of the Alpheus, where they divided into two forces, one of which under Cresphontes invaded and later subdued Messenia, while the other, led by Aristodemus or, according to another version, by his twin sons Eurysthenes and Procles, made its way down the Eurotas were new settlements were formed and gained Sparta, which became the Dorian capital of Laconia.
    [Show full text]
  • The Economic Foundations of Authoritarian Rule
    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 2017 The conomicE Foundations of Authoritarian Rule Clay Robert Fuller University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Fuller, C. R.(2017). The Economic Foundations of Authoritarian Rule. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/4202 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ECONOMIC FOUNDATIONS OF AUTHORITARIAN RULE by Clay Robert Fuller Bachelor of Arts West Virginia State University, 2008 Master of Arts Texas State University, 2010 Master of Arts University of South Carolina, 2014 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science College of Arts and Sciences University of South Carolina 2017 Accepted by: John Hsieh, Major Professor Harvey Starr, Committee Member Timothy Peterson, Committee Member Gerald McDermott, Committee Member Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School © Copyright Clay Robert Fuller, 2017 All Rights Reserved. ii DEDICATION for Henry, Shannon, Mom & Dad iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks goes to God, the unconditional love and support of my wife, parents and extended family, my dissertation committee, Alex, the institutions of the United States of America, the State of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, the Department of Political Science faculty and staff, the Walker Institute of International and Area Studies faculty and staff, the Center for Teaching Excellence, undergraduate political science majors at South Carolina who helped along the way, and the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • Art and Royalty in Sparta of the 3Rd Century B.C
    HESPERIA 75 (2006) ART AND ROYALTY Pages 203?217 IN SPARTA OF THE 3RD CENTURY B.C. ABSTRACT a The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that revival of the arts in Sparta b.c. was during the 3rd century owed mainly to royal patronage, and that it was inspired by Alexander s successors, the Seleukids and the Ptolemies in particular. The tumultuous transition from the traditional Spartan dyarchy to a and to its dominance Hellenistic-style monarchy, Sparta's attempts regain in the P?loponn?se (lost since the battle of Leuktra in 371 b.c.), are reflected in the of the hero Herakles as a role model promotion pan-Peloponnesian at for the single king the expense of the Dioskouroi, who symbolized dual a kingship and had limited, regional appeal. INTRODUCTION was Spartan influence in the P?loponn?se dramatically reduced after the battle of Leuktra in 371 b.c.1 The history of Sparta in the 3rd century b.c. to ismarked by intermittent efforts reassert Lakedaimonian hegemony.2 A as a means to tendency toward absolutism that end intensified the latent power struggle between the Agiad and Eurypontid royal houses, leading to the virtual abolition of the traditional dyarchy in the reign of the Agiad Kleomenes III (ca. 235-222 b.c.), who appointed his brother Eukleides 1. For the battle of Leuktra and its am to and Ellen Millen 2005.1 grateful Graham Shipley Paul Cartledge and see me to am consequences, Cartledge 2002, and Ellen Millender for inviting der for historical advice. I also 251-259.
    [Show full text]
  • Ebook Download Greek Art 1St Edition
    GREEK ART 1ST EDITION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Nigel Spivey | 9780714833682 | | | | | Greek Art 1st edition PDF Book No Date pp. Fresco of an ancient Macedonian soldier thorakitai wearing chainmail armor and bearing a thureos shield, 3rd century BC. This work is a splendid survey of all the significant artistic monuments of the Greek world that have come down to us. They sometimes had a second story, but very rarely basements. Inscription to ffep, else clean and bright, inside and out. The Erechtheum , next to the Parthenon, however, is Ionic. Well into the 19th century, the classical tradition derived from Greece dominated the art of the western world. The Moschophoros or calf-bearer, c. Red-figure vases slowly replaced the black-figure style. Some of the best surviving Hellenistic buildings, such as the Library of Celsus , can be seen in Turkey , at cities such as Ephesus and Pergamum. The Distaff Side: Representing…. Chryselephantine Statuary in the Ancient Mediterranean World. The Greeks were quick to challenge Publishers, New York He and other potters around his time began to introduce very stylised silhouette figures of humans and animals, especially horses. Add to Basket Used Hardcover Condition: g to vg. The paint was frequently limited to parts depicting clothing, hair, and so on, with the skin left in the natural color of the stone or bronze, but it could also cover sculptures in their totality; female skin in marble tended to be uncoloured, while male skin might be a light brown. After about BC, figures, such as these, both male and female, wore the so-called archaic smile.
    [Show full text]
  • Spooked by the Demos: Aristotle's Conception of the Good Citizenry
    Problematique Issue 11 (Spring) 2007 Bell: Spooked by the Demos Spooked by the Demos: Aristotle’s Conception of the Good Citizenry Against the Mob Colleen Bell This article addresses two aspects of Aristotle’s The Politics.1 The first concerns his conception of the good citizenry and the second concerns the character that he attributes to a politically active demos. At times, Aristotle refers to this latter category as the ‘mob’ which serves as the citizenry’s disruptive counterpart.2 I explore how the ideas of rationality, virtue and excellence are used to characterize the good citizenry, while the mob, driven by passion, moral depravity and irrationality, is represented as its alterity. The relationship between the good citizenry and the mob, I argue, is critical to the image that Aristotle casts of the best possible constitution; one designed to be largely invulnerable to revolution and to the formation of an active, democratic polity. His awareness of the potential for the demos to transform into a form of ‘mob rule’ leads him to compromise the ideal constitution, composed of a wholly ‘rational’ and ‘virtuous’ citizenry, by extending citizenship rights to a limited and select portion of the demos in order to minimize the likelihood of mob driven revolution. Aristotle provides the classical account of the citizen as one who has both the knowledge, and the ability to rule and be ruled. 3 Key is the idea that while ‘man’ is distinguished by reason, not all ‘men’ posses sufficient reason to warrant citizenship. 4 In holding that not all of humanity has the capacity to rule, essential to his conception of the good citizen is the willful exclusion of women, slaves, immigrants, and children from both political subjectivity and participation.
    [Show full text]
  • Life in Two City States--- Athens and Sparta
    - . CHAPTER The city-states of Sparta (above) and Athens (below) were bitter rivals. Life in Two City-States Athens and Sparta 27.1 Introduction In Chapter 26, you learned that ancient Greece was a collection of city- states, each with its own government. In this chapter, you will learn about two of the most important Greek city-states, Athens and Sparta. They not only had different forms of government, but very different ways of life. Athens was a walled city near the sea. Nearby, ships came and went from a busy port. Inside the city walls, master potters and sculptors labored in work- shops. Wealthy people and their slaves strolled through the marketplace. Often the city's citizens (free men) gathered to loudly debate the issues of the day. Sparta was located in a farming area on a plain. No walls surrounded the city. Its buildings were simple and plain compared to those of Athens. Even the clothing of the people in the streets was drab. Columns of soldiers tramped through the streets, with fierce expressions behind their bronze helmets. Even a casual visitor could see that Athens and Sparta were very different. Let's take a closer look at the way people lived in these two city-states. We'll examine each city's government, economy, education, and treatment of women and slaves. Use this graphic organizer to help you compare various aspects of life in Athens and Sparta. Life in Two City-States: Athens and Sparta 259 27.2 Comparing Two City-States Peloponnesus the penin- Athens and Sparta were both Greek cities, and they were only sula forming the southern part about 150 miles apart.
    [Show full text]
  • This Is the Social and Religious Background Against Which The
    BOOK REVIEWS 183 This is the social and religious background against which the accusation of ‘ac­ knowledging new deities’, brought against Socrates in 399 B.C., makes its appear­ ance. As Ρ. has shown, this accusation as such cannot be regarded as sufficient justifi­ cation for the trial. In spite of the general negative attitude on the part of the state, individuals did in practice ‘introduce new gods’ with some freedom, and by no means every case of such unauthorized religious innovation was prosecuted by the state. Socrates’ prosecution for kainotheism was in fact ‘only a counterpoise to that other and much more damning one of “not acknowledging the gods the city believes in.” And it was as a priestess in what we have called an “elective” cult, a “leader of lawless revel-bands of men and women”, that Phryne was attacked’ (pp. 216-17). That is to say, it was above all what was grasped by the Athenians as the antisocial character of the religious activities of Socrates and Phryne rather than the issue of ‘theological orthodoxy’ as such that brought both to trial. To be sure, the phenomenon which Ρ. calls ‘the totalitarian side of the classical city and its religion’ (p. 50) (‘communitarian’ seems to be a better term) was not a fifth-century Athenian invention. It can be discerned already in the legislative activi­ ties of Solon, and it was far from unfamiliar to other city-states of Archaic and Classi­ cal Greece. Yet, as Ρ. himself puts it, ‘The great attraction of studying the religion of classical Athens is not so much that it is either Athenian or classical a? that it can indeed be studied, in some detail’ (p.
    [Show full text]
  • Transcript of “The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization” Episode One: “The Birth of Democracy”
    Transcript of “The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization” Episode One: “The Birth of Democracy” Transcript of PBS Video - The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization Part 1 – The Birth of Democracy 0:00 – Series Introduction: The Significance of the Greeks The Greeks. A people glorious and arrogant, valiant and headstrong. These were the men and women who laid the very foundations of Western Civilization. Their monuments still recall perhaps the most extraordinary two centuries in history, a time that saw the birth of science and politics, philosophy, literature and drama. [A time that] saw the creation of art and architecture we still strive to equal. And the Greeks achieved all this against a backdrop of war and conflict, for they would vanquish armies, navies, and empires many times their size, and build an empire of their own which stretched across the Mediterranean. For one brief moment, the mighty warships of the Greeks ruled the seas, their prosperity unequalled. These achievements, achievements which still shape our world, were made not by figures lost to time, but by men and women whose voices we can still hear, whose lives we can follow, men such as Themistocles, one of the world’s greatest military generals; Pericles, a politician of vision and genius; and Socrates, the most famous philosopher in history. This is the story of these astonishing individuals, of the rise and fall of a civilization that changed the world. 2:35 – Episode Introduction: The Revolution 508 BC. Five centuries before the birth of Christ. In a town called Athens, a tiny city in mainland Greece, pandemonium ruled the streets.
    [Show full text]