Characteristics Of The Polis

The current governmental system employed by modern governments is based on the ancient Greek concept of the polis. In order to comprehend how the West adopted the principles of democracy in the early modern period, it is integral to build ones understanding of the ideas surrounding the establishment and maintenance of the Polis during the dark and classical ages in Greek history. For instance, prior to the development of democracy in Greek city-states, the poleis went through periods of oligarchical and tyrannical governmental regimes whose policies served the aristocracy and detriment of the poorer classes. Of the two prominent poleis Athens is the primary city-state that embodies the qualities of the polis outlined by Aristotle. Due to the …show more content…
The ability for a city to sustain itself is found in its ability to keep its people happy, this includes appeasing the lower classes of society in order to maintain equilibrium. The fair treatment of the lower classes is where the Spartan and Athenian Poleis contend against one another. In Sparta there was factionalism between the freeborn citizens and the Helots. The Helots were a population of people who belonged to territories that Sparta had acquired through war; they were relegated to farming and were forced to live in fear . As a result of their contentious feelings towards the Spartans, the Helots would often revolt against the Spartans when the majority of the men were away at war, forcing the main force to retreat from the front lines in order to quell the rebellion . In addition to having few rights and living in servitude the Helots were forced to live in constant fear as the Ephors would annually send out Spartans in their mid to late teens to spy and kill any Helot who was seen to be disloyal or had good leadership skills . In order to appease the unhappy populations in Athens, the Athenian government granted metics the rights of full citizens due to their involvement in the Persian war and also used some of the city’s profits to start giving the poor welfare, this also included giving the farmers seeds to plant. The treatment of slaves in Athens was also different from how slaves were treated in Sparta. The slaves in Athens were granted several liberties . The Athenian democratic regime decided to start giving monetary aid to the poor because the disadvantaged populations are comprised of the people who participate in war and helped the city gain power . The ability of Athenian democracy to recognize that the happiness of their citizens helps to maintain order in the city, making it much easier to become