Monarchy: In ancient Greece, hereditary monarchy was rare. Where a polis had a king, they were usually what we would call a ‘constitutional’ monarchy. That is, some assembly shared the power with the king. Sparta was notable in that they had 2 kings. In this way, 1 king could lead the Spartan army off to war, while the other remained at home keeping the state functioning. When not at war, a bureaucracy consisting of ephors, gerousia, and the citizen assembly check the kings from getting out of hand. (Cartwirght, 2013)
Aristocracy: In ancient Greece, the aristocracy comprised the upper echelon of society. They were the wealthy, educated, men of leisure who managed the affairs of state. They were the political rivals who would work to control the government. The tyrants and oligarchs came from this group. (Joshi, 2010)
Tyranny: In ancient Greece, a tyrant was someone who seized control over the government through some corruption or …show more content…
Rather, it was the accumulation of wealth and power by the elites. Democracy was the ideal form of government for the greeks, but it never truly existed. At least, not for long. It never incorporated most of the population. Women were excluded completely. Most of the male population were either slaves or free men, but not of the right birth lineage. So, even at its best, democracy only represented a minority of the population. Those that it did include would inevitably resort to politcal corruption and violence to increase their share of the power at the expense of others. Demoguary, that is playing to the masses, would be used to manipulate oneself to power. Eventually, a tyranny or oligrachy would form. Usually, even then, some sembelance of democracy would remain. The assemblies would still assemble. Votes would be taken, but the outcome was already established. It was just for show. (McInerney,
Aristocracy: In ancient Greece, the aristocracy comprised the upper echelon of society. They were the wealthy, educated, men of leisure who managed the affairs of state. They were the political rivals who would work to control the government. The tyrants and oligarchs came from this group. (Joshi, 2010)
Tyranny: In ancient Greece, a tyrant was someone who seized control over the government through some corruption or …show more content…
Rather, it was the accumulation of wealth and power by the elites. Democracy was the ideal form of government for the greeks, but it never truly existed. At least, not for long. It never incorporated most of the population. Women were excluded completely. Most of the male population were either slaves or free men, but not of the right birth lineage. So, even at its best, democracy only represented a minority of the population. Those that it did include would inevitably resort to politcal corruption and violence to increase their share of the power at the expense of others. Demoguary, that is playing to the masses, would be used to manipulate oneself to power. Eventually, a tyranny or oligrachy would form. Usually, even then, some sembelance of democracy would remain. The assemblies would still assemble. Votes would be taken, but the outcome was already established. It was just for show. (McInerney,