Ch 5 Ancient Greece:The City-State and Democracy

Greece's geography was divided into small regions.

A city-state is made up of a city and its surrounding lands.

In Greek, the name for city-states was known as "polis".

Most city-states were small.

People who lived there formed a close community.

Athens and Sparta had the largest city-state.

The center of city life was the agora.

It was an open space or open air market where people came for business and public gatherings.

Festivals and athletic contests were also held in the agora.

Statues, temples and other public buildings were in and around the agora.

Men came to the agora to discuss politics.

An acropolis was a fortified hilltop.

At first, it was used as a military defense.

Later, temples and palaces were built on the acropolis.

Regular houses were build at the base of the hill.

Each city-state was independent.

As a result, each had a form of government that worked best for them.

Some kept the same political system for a long time, some changed to one system to another.

A monarch is a king or queen who has absolute power.

Most Greek city-states started with a monarchy, but changed over time.

The Aristocracy is the upper class or nobility.

They rule because of their inherited social class.

Most city-states changed to an aristocracy over time.

An oligarchy means ruled by the few.

They rule because of their wealth and land ownership.

It's similar to an aristocracy because a small group controls the government.

A tyrant was a person who took power in an illegal way.

To Greeks, a tyrant was like a king without royal birth.

They used the "anger" of the poor and asked them to support him in becoming a leader.

Some tyrants helped the poor.

Tyrants played an important role in the development of "rule by the people". They showed that if they united, they could gain power and make changes.

Today, tyrant means "cruel leader".

One of Greece's major legacies was the idea of citizenship.

Because people in the lower classes began to demand power, Solon and Cleisthenes made reforms to change representative democracy.

They gave more people more power and that led to an early form of democracy.

Only free adult males could take part in government.

Women, slaves and foreigners were not allowed.

A democracy in which the citizens make political decisions.

Athens is often called the birthplace of democracy.

Direct democracy: all citizens meet to decide laws.

Indirect democracy: people elect representitives to make laws.