The Athenian democracy operated differently from today’s democracy, but not necessarily more effectively. Finley seems to argue that although the basis of democracy was a good idea, it had many flaws, and was a utopian system, designed for “perfect” people. It was not representative, as it is nowadays, but direct, meaning that all the male citizens over the age of 18 could participate on the decision making, as long as they had not lost their civil rights. However, people could very easily change the mind and be manipulated by the demagogues, who were mainly the ones ruining the original idea. All decisions were being made at the Assembly, which essentially was an outdoor meeting of all the citizens, and each idea would be introduced, discussed
