Essay Plan Two

Second essay plan... comments?

How Democratic was Periclean society by 431BC?

Intro-

Define what democracy is, and what makes a democratic society, in both today and classical terms. Define what ‘Periclean society’ is, discuss Pericles and his influence.

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Discuss how Periclean society WAS democratic

By 431 BC Periclean society was democratic, this is demonstrated through the ideals and principals the system held and the efficiency in which it functioned.

- Sense of involvement for all citizens

- Efficiency

- Unified purpose (the Assembly)

- The democracy produced an excellent navel fleet

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Discuss how Periclean society WAS democratic

Periclean society became a democratic system through a series of modifications throughout history including the reforms of Solon, Cleisthenes and Ephialtes.

----Solons’ initial reforms (major economic reforms)

----Cleisthenes reforms (democratic reforms)

- Council of 500, Boule, restricted membership- property/income class

- Assembly, restricted membership- only male 20+

- Law courts, Dikasteria, open- all classes and citizens (jury members)

- Generals and strategoi, nominated- but had to be 30+

- Magistrates, had to be from a higher property class (although in practice all were included), 30+

- Ostracism, by vote

----Ephialtes reforms

- Arkhons, selected by lot- but from highest two property classes

- Areopagos, stripped of all powers- was considered ‘guardians of the laws’

- The graphe paranomon- public prosecution

OTHER REFORMS (for democratic benefits??)

Pericles reforms

-payment for dikasts (jury members)

-citizen rights, only if you were the legitimate child of an Athenian father and mother

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Discuss how Periclean society WAS NOT democratic

Although it is widely established that Periclean society was democratic by 431 BC, the system had several aspects which worked against this clam and further questioned how democratic the system actually was outside the male citizens of Athens.

- Only male citizens had rights

- Slaves were excluded, but this was natural- slavery was not questioned

- Women were excluded- seen under guardianship of the male family memebers

- Metics (Athenian immigrants) were excluded, but forced to pay tax and labour

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Discuss how Periclean society WAS NOT democratic

The reforms that where established throughout history were in attempt to create a truly democratic system by 431 BC, however in today’s meaning of the word, some of these reforms limited how democratic the system actually was.

-Not all of Cleisthenes reforms were very democratic; they only included male citizens and often had age and property class pre requisites attached

- The limiting of citizens further reduced the number of males who could partake in the running of the government.

Conclusion-

Athens ran an effective democracy for the male citizens of Athens. However, on the wider scale, because of the exclusion of almost 70percent of the Athenian population, it cannot be seen as a true democracy with the modern meaning; but it maintained the correct principals of a democratic society e.g. Freedom of speech and elections.