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GREEK DEMOCRACY
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A democratic form of government is that which exercises the sovereign powers of the
people in a body. It is the rule by the people and existed in the Greek city-states in the 5 th
century. Ancient Athens is credited with developing the first democratic government in the
world. The city-states' democracy was referred to as radical or direct democracy, which was at its
peak during the reign of Pericles. However, unlike the modern democracies, which are
characterized by citizens electing their lawmakers who represent their interests, the Athenian
democratic government was run and influenced by the citizens' votes, making it contentious and
unruly. This democracy was the most significant influence on the later development of such a
government in Rome and, consequently the most influential modern democratic states (Ober, J.
2021). The Athenian government had three governing bodies; the assembly (ecclesia), the
council, and the courts. The most critical issues in the states were resolved by the assembly,
which met at least forty times annually. The council's purpose was to set the agenda for the
assembly and propose the legislation to be voted in. Also, the members engaged in the running of
the government. The courts in Athens served by ensuring that many citizens participate in
determining the verdict of the presented cases. By this, they believed in providing the deserved
justice.
The democratic techniques in the modern world have embodied the ideology of
democracy, although the structure has been diluted over time. In the contemporary capitalists, the
democratic ideal has been dissolved altogether to create liberalism as a substitute for the popular
power of democracy. However, some of the ideologies borrowed from this ancient democracy
are still applicable in the modern world. An excerpt from President Obama's proclamation stated
that America's founders built a government that was influenced by the founders of democracy
from Athens. This is a recognition of the contribution of the Greek's ideal government to the
American declaration of independence (Ober, J. 2021). America's founding fathers studied the
philosophy of the ancient Greeks. They drew these inspirations from their morals, ethics, and the
sense of independence which are the fundamental principles of a democrat. Plato, a significant
influence, wrote about the benefits of a mixed government which influences the development
and separation of powers and the US constitution. One of the shared qualities is the amount of
nationalism and patriotism by the people and government prominent. Just like the Athenian
people who valued their power and existence among nations, so does the United States (Euben et
al., 2019). The American people and the government demonstrate honor and respect within the
country, especially in adversity. Similarly, just like the Athenian democracy, the US principle of
democracy also states that power belongs to the people. The citizens elect their leaders and
representatives to represent them in the government functions. As the ancient Greek philosophers
declared that humanism was influenced by man, who is the measure of all things, the ideas of
freedom, equality and justice influenced Thomas Jefferson in including the right to pursuit for
happiness in the American constitution (Euben et al., 2019). Consequently, the ancient Athenian
democracy affects the original American voting system. In Athens, people regarded as citizens
were males of 18 years and above; therefore, women and slaves could not participate in the
assembly. In America, they also believed that only certain people could vote and elect the leaders
where only white and land owners' men had the rights. With time, however, all US citizens of 18
years gained voting rights.
Although the ancient Athenian democratic ideologies are different compared to the current
American democracy, the fact remains that the founders of America borrowed most of the
concepts from the Athenian democracy.
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REFERENCES
Ober, J. (2021). The nature of Athenian democracy. In The Athenian Revolution (pp. 107-122).
Princeton University Press.
Euben, J. P., Wallach, J. R., & Ober, J. (Eds.). (2019). Athenian Political Thought and the
Reconstitution of American Democracy. Cornell University Press.