Ancient Greece: Political Systems

Universal History Rocks

What do you know about ancient Greece?

9.2 Greek Political

To what extent were ancient Greek political systems democratic?

systems

GREEKS

Universal History Rocks

9.2 Greek Political

systems

Statue of King Leonidas in Sparta.

A statue of Socrates outside of the Academy of Athens.

GREEKS

Universal History Rocks

Based on what you saw in these statues and your conclusions, which of these city-states would you rather live in? Why?

Sparta

Athens

GREEKS

Universal History Rocks

MONARCHY

A monarchy is a system of government where one person has the power to rule. That person is the king or the queen. Monarchy comes from the Greek words mono meaning “one” and archos meaning “leader.” In Greek monarchies, rule passed from one generation of a family to another. When a king died, his son would inherit power and become the new king. Occasionally, a daughter inherited power and became queen. Kings had many advisers and officials to help them make decisions. Advisers came from the upper class and had varying amounts of power.

GREEKS

Universal History Rocks

OLIGACHY

As the power of the kings grew, the people they ruled became more discontented. Eventually, the people overthrew the kings, and around 800 BCE they established oligarchies, or governments where only a few people hold power. Oligarchies usually consisted of members of the upper classes, those with the most wealth and property. They lived extravagant lives, while the working people produced most of the city-state’s resources. This type of governments passed unpopular laws implemented by force.

GREEKS

Universal History Rocks

TYRANNY

Around the mid-600s BCE, many Greeks sought the help of powerful individuals to remove the members of the oligarchies from power. Usually, these powerful individuals were people in the military. These men used a variety of means to gain control, from political tactics to violence. After removing the oligarchs from power, many of these men established themselves as the absolute rulers of their respective city-states. This meant they had complete control of all aspects of government. This type of government is known as a tyranny.

GREEKS

Universal History Rocks

DEMOCRACY

The aristocracy battled for control of their city-state for a few years. In about 508 BCE, Athens set up a new form of government. The new government of Athens was known as a democracy. The word democracy comes from the Greek demos meaning “people” and kratos meaning “power.” In democracies, all citizens, or members of the city-state, share the power of ruling. Athenian democracy developed slowly. Over time, a series of political leaders made changes that enabled citizens to take part in the government. These reforms gave individuals some basic rights.

GREEKS