ORIGINS OF GREEK DEMOCRACY

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ORIGINS OF GREEK DEMOCRACY
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• Greek civilization began about 2000 B.C.
• Comprised of many city-states
• Athens was the most powerful
• Ruled by a monarchy until 683 B.C.
• Developed into an aristocracy (noble ruling
  class)
• Each year an assembly of citizens elected three
  nobles to rule the city
• Citizensadult, male residents

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Reforms of Solon

• By 600 B.C. severe economic problems plague
  Athens
• In order to pay debts, poor farmers pledged part
  of crops to wealthy landowners
• Later pledged land, then sold themselves into
  slavery

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594 B.C.Solon comes to power
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• Solon does the following
• Passes a law outlawing slavery based on debt
• Cancels the farmers debt
• Creates 4 classes of citizenship, based on wealth
• Top 3 classes could hold public office, lowest
  class could vote in the assembly
• Creates Council of 400 which prepared business
  for the assembly

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• Problems with the reformsonly 1/10th of the
  population were citizens
• Excludes women, slaves, and foreign residents

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Reforms of Cleisthenes (508 B.C.)
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• Reorganized assembly
• Broke up the power of the nobility
• Allowed all citizens to submit laws
• Created a Council of 500 members were chosen at
  random
• Considered the founder of democracy in Athens