Greek Government and Justice: Athens vs Sparta

1. Greek Government and Justice: Athens vs Sparta

2. Introduction • It’s important to note that political structure depended on the city-state in which a “Greek” inhabited. • For the sake of comparison, we’ll examine the rival city-states of Athens and Sparta both of which adopted a political structure radically different from the other.

3. “The Athenians knew how to think, the Spartans how to act aright.” ~ Jean Jacques Rousseau, (philosopher and social critic of the Enlightenment)

4. The Cradle of Democracy

6. 500 years before the birth of Christ…

7. …the world’s first democracy emerged

8. The Key Figures in the Development of Democratic rule

9. Key term: Archon• position of power created after decline of kings • land-holding aristocrat originally appointed for life• carried out judicial and religious duties• later became 3, then 9 archons • eventually archons elected for 1-year terms

10. Key Figure: Draco • elected 1st archon (621 BCE) • codified and publicized Athenian law; laws called draconian because they were harsh

11. Key Figure: Solon • appointed archon in 594 BCE • set Greece on road to democracy • increased number of archons to nine • wealthy land-owners formed ruling classes

12. Key Figure:Pisistratus • Tyrant • Introduced reforms • Improved commerce and mftg • Confiscated land from wealthy and divided it among landless • Broke stranglehold of political influence based on wealth/birth • Reforms pushed Athens toward greater democracy

13. Key term: Democracy • derives from two Greek words: • demos (people) and kratia (rule) • means -- “rule by the people”

14. Key Term: Direct Democracy • Modern 21st century states do NOT practice direct democracy BECAUSE it is unworkable and impractical • The Greeks invented the concept of direct participation in political decision-making • In Athens, a fishmonger and an aristocrat could have equal say in affairs of the state • Voting privileges were restricted to about 40,000 of the 300,000 citizens in Athens

18. Guiding Principles of Athenian Democracy • Males over 30 were only citizens entitled to vote (suffrage) • Guaranteed rule of law • All citizens equal before law (justice) • Equal access to legal redress

19. Key term: Assembly• Met 40 times a year• composed (in theory) of all Athenian “citizens” (males)• passed laws, decided all questions of foreign policy and served as supreme court• elected ten generals to run armed forces

20. Key term: Council of 500 • Composed of 500 Assembly members chosen by lot who served for 1 year • Proposed and administered laws• Conducted routine business when Assembly was not sitting

21. Key Figure: Cleisthenes • Followed Pisistratus • Reorganized electoral system • Established Council of 500 • Increased direct participation in government • Divided Athenians into ten tribes • Turned Athens into a real demokratia

22. The Age of Pericles • “Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people…. [W]hen it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular class, but the actual ability which the man possesses….Here each individual is interested not only in his own affairs but in the affairs of the state as well.”~ Pericles

23. Pericles • Greek general Pericles dominated Athenian politics for 30 years • He retained power not by force but by election • His brilliant oratorical ability and popularity ensured his political survival

24. Athenian Justice

25. Introduction • Athenian democracy was guaranteed by the “rule of law” and something called isanomia (“equality before the law”) • These principles still form the foundation of Canadian law

26. Administration of Justice • Cases tried by jury of 6000 (men 30 yrs>) selected by lot • Cases usu. heard by jury of 201-1001 • Plaintiff & defendant presented cases • Public vote of majority determined verdict • Plaintiff / defendant proposed appropriate penalty if none existed • Jury voted for one of proposal • No appeal of verdict / sentence

27. The Death of Socrates by David (1787)

28. Key term: Kleroterion• allotment machine into which volunteer jurors placed their • tickets (inscribed with name and jury section)

30. Kleroterion (bottom left), ticket, (bottom right), ballots (top right)

31. Key term: Ostracism (ostracon)• Citizens voted yearly to exile other citizens by scratching name on piece of pottery (called an ostracon) • Citizens for whom majority of 6000 voted, would be ostracized for ten years

32. Athenian Democracy: An Assessment • Power in the hands of 40,000 men (only) out of population of 300,000 • System worked effectively for 200+ years (longer than many modern states) • Athenians enjoyed: freedom of speech; equality before law; equality of political power • Provided a foundation for western democratic structure

33. Athenian Democracy: An Assessment, Cont’d • Remember, however, that like the Spartans the Athenians also had a very narrow definition of citizenship

34. The Spartan Way

36. Introduction • Throughout its existence, Sparta remained an armed camp which embraced an aristocratic, oligarchical political structure. • It was rule by the few • Though ruled by two kings, the Council of Elders (Gerousia) really wielded power

38. Key Term: Spartiate • Privileged upper class of 25,000 • Only ones to enjoy full rights of citizenship

39. Key Term: Ephor • Means overseer • Five men elected by Assembly • Acted as judges and decided what law or custom of state was • Council and Assembly usually supported their policies

40. Key Term: Gerousia • The Council of Elders composed of 28 elected men over sixty years old • Served for life

41. Key Term: Perioeci • Means (dwellers roundabout) • Third class beneath the Spartiates and Ephors • They could carry on trade and manage their own affairs but had NO political rights

42. Key Term: Helot • Serf / slave • Approximately 250,000 (vast majority of the population of Sparta) • No rights….period!

43. Assessment of the Spartan way • Often seen as the forerunner of modern dictatorship • Way of life sacrificed personal liberty, family life and art and culture • To maintain a military state, such sacrifices were necessary - blind allegiance to the state was paramount to its success

44. Assessment of the Spartan way, cont’d • While the Spartans were generally feared because of their military prowess, they were also admired for their respect for authority, simplicity and moderation and allegiance to the state • Furthermore, agree or disagree with their way of life, no one can say that the Spartans did not defend and remained true to their ideals

45. Works Cited Cotterell, Arthur, ed. The Penguin Encyclopedia of Ancient Civilizations. Toronto: Penguin, 1980. Print. Ricker, John and John Saywell. The Emergence of Europe. Toronto: Irwin, 1976. Print. Walker, Robert J. World Civilizations: A Comparative Study. Don Mills: Oxford UP, 1998. Print. Watson, Patrick and Benjamin Barber. The Struggle for Democracy. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1988. Print.