Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Warring City- State Class Note (Feb 3rd)

Transformation of government
 - during seventh and sixth centuries BCE, aristocrats ran the show in most of Greece
 - rich people wielded much more influence

Aristocracy (nice work if you can get it)
 - Aristocrats: members of he ruling class
 - They attended symposiums
 - meetings where the elite man enjoy wine and poetry

Politics
 - no women (except the "entertainment")
 - no middle class
 - certainly no slaves
 - sometimes, even certain aristocrats (who didn't have the right connection) were excluded

Tyrants seize control
 - sometimes aristocrats would form alliances with hoplites (well-armed soldiers), and set up an alternative form of gov't called a tyranny.
 - tyrant : someone who ruled outside the framework of the polis
 - modern meaning of tyrant: an abusive or oppressive ruler.
 - the Greek meaning of tyrant: someone who simply seized power (usually with hoplite help)

rules, codes and laws
 - Draco (621 BCE)
   - all Athenians (rich or poor) are equal under the law
   - but death is the punishment for many crimes
   - debt slavery is OK (work as a slave to repay debt)
 - Solon's reforms (594 BCE)
   - outlaws debt slavery
   - all Athenian citizens can speak at the assembly
   - any citizen can press charge against wrongdoers

Cleisthenes
 - more reform (around 500 BCE)
    - allow all citizens to submit laws for debt at assembly
    - created the Council of Five Hundred (members chosen at random to council the assembly)
    - but...only free adult male property owners born in Athens were considered citizens

No comments:

Post a Comment