Extended Project Question: To what extent was Ancient Athenian democracy truly
‘democratic’? - Chloe Shao
The birth of our beloved form of government can be credited to the Athenians. They practised
participatory democracy, known as direct democracy. However, this democracy has been seen in
history in a rose-tinted view, as many people do not realise how there were many inequalities and
problems in Ancient Athenian democracy, despite their system having long lasting impacts on our
democratic societies today. In this essay, I will discuss whether or not Athenian democracy was a
true democracy by explaining their legal system and evaluating their successes and weaknesses. I
will also discuss the cornerstones of democracy itself as a concept, and the meaning of a “true
democracy”.
Defining the term ‘Democracy’
Democracy is a hard word to define, as a study found that this word was described by 2,234
adjectives, and there are many different forms of democracy. The word “Democracy” is defined as a
system of government governed by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state,
usually through elected representatives 1. This word derives from the Greek word “Dēmokratia'',
originated from Athens in 500 BC. Taken apart, this means “rule of the people” from the root,
“dēmos” and “kratos”, which can be translated as “the people” and “power”. 2 It is the idea that the
citizens of a country should take an active role in decision making within the government by
managing it directly or through elected representatives. The Ancient Athenians believed in
replacing their government through peaceful transfers of power rather than violent uprisings and
revolutions.
1
Lexico Dictionaries | English. (2020). Democracy | Meaning of Democracy by Lexico. [online] Available at:
https://www.lexico.com/definition/democracy. [Accessed 2 April. 2021]
2
“Democracy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,
https://www.britannica.com/topic/democracy. [Accessed 12 Feb. 2021].
1
,Extended Project Question: To what extent was Ancient Athenian democracy truly
‘democratic’? - Chloe Shao
Larry Diamond (2004)3, describes democracy as consisting of four basic elements in his
Lecture at Hilla University for Humanistic Studies:
i) A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections.
ii) The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life.
iii) The protection of the human rights of all citizens.
iv) A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.4
Cleisthenes’ Reforms: Creation of Democracy in Ancient Athens
Athenian democracy did not come about from a revolution, but rather by the use of laws. Before
Solon, there had already been an ekklesia or assembly, but this excluded the class of thetes (the
lowest class)5. This allowed people to sound their views but mainly consisted of aristocrats. There
was also the Council of the Areopagus, in which ex-archons held office for life and had powers over
the law. From the year 594BC, Solon allowed citizens to issue public policies, elect officials within
the ekklesia over issues in the constitution. However, this could be interpreted as an “oligarchy”,
meaning political power was confined to a small group and were all wealthy and born into power 6.
As social tensions in Athens had become acute, the constitution appointed Solon as chief
magistrate, an archon, in 594 BC. Solon was nicknamed “the law-giver”7, as he instituted a system
in which any citizen could seek justice from one another, regardless of wealth and status. It is clear
3
Diamond, L. (2019). What is Democracy? | Larry Diamond. [online] Stanford.edu. Available at: https://diamond-
democracy.stanford.edu/speaking/lectures/what-democracy [Accessed 15 Aug. 2021].
3
4
Council of Europe (2012). Democracy. [online] Council of Europe. Available at:
https://www.coe.int/en/web/compass/democracy [Accessed 14 Feb Aug. 2021].
5 PATERSON, J.J. (2015). Elections: how the Greeks and Romans did them and why lots can be
better than votes. | Ancient and Modern Rhetoric. [online] arts.st-andrews.ac.uk. Available at:
https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/rhetoric/elections-how-the-greeks-and-romans-did-them-and-why-lots-
can-be-better-than-votes/. [Accessed 14 Mar. 2021]
6
8 ARISTOTLE, The Constitution of the Athenians, in ARISTOTLE AND XENOPHON ON DEMOCRACY AND
OLIGARCHY 201 (J.M. Moore trans., 1986)[Ar. Ath .Pol 61.1-7]
7
Cartwright, Mark. "Solon." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 10 Mar 2016. Web.
[Accessed 03 Nov 2021].
2
, Extended Project Question: To what extent was Ancient Athenian democracy truly
‘democratic’? - Chloe Shao
that Solon’s reforms would have been considered democratic in this period, especially since he
paved the way for a man called Cleisthenes 8 to advance democracy, in which he created a system
that was not based on family, but dēmes. There were about 140 demes in Attica, distributed among
the ten new tribes. To properly evaluate the Athenian democracy, one must understand their system
first. This system was invented by Cleisthenes in 508 BC, and even though it only lasted for two
centuries, it is one of ancient Greece’s most famous contributions to the modern world.
Political Organization of Attica and Legislature
The government comprised of three separate institutions9
I. The boulē: a council of representatives from the 10 Athenian tribes
II. The ekklēsia: the sovereign governing body which created laws and dictated foreign policy
III. The dikasteria: popular courts, this was where citizens argued legal cases before a group of
lottery-selected jurors.
Firstly, the Boulē decided what matters were important enough to come before the Ekklēsia. This
was a group of 500 men, 50 from each Athenian tribe, who served for one year. These men would
meet every day, supervise government workers, and they dealt with representatives from other city-
states. The Boulē was the foundation of democracy. What was truly democratic about this system
was how the positions were chosen by random lottery, and so the elected men could not be
influenced by bribery or and there was no corruption involved. These men were chosen from all the
demes of Athens and Attica from a fair sample in proportion to their size. In addition, the reforms of
Cleisthenes and Pericles allowed the participation of the poorest and more distant citizens. Since
they were chosen by lot from all the demes of Athens and Attica in proportion to their size, this
formed a fair sample of the people as a whole. This would be considered as very democratic, as the
experience of a year’s service on the Council was not limited to a small elite of wealthy citizens,
8 Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Ancient Greek civilization - The reforms of Cleisthenes. [online]
Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Greece/The-reforms-of-Cleisthenes.
[Accessed 18 June 2021]
9
Blackwell, C.W. (2003). Athenian Democracy: a brief overview. a Stoa Publication.
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