Greek Democracy: Athenian Democracy Vs. Contemporary Democracy

Greek democracy is different from contemporary democracy, but the overall idea is similar. “Democracy is a form of government that gives power to the people” (“What Is a Democracy?”). In Athens, they had a direct democracy. Today, we have a representative democracy. In both democracies, the people ultimately have the power. Athenian democracy is different than contemporary democracy because it is exclusive, while contemporary allows more people to have a say, and Athenian officials are chosen through sortition, while contemporary has representatives elected. They are similar because they both have very high regard for their government and some elements of Athenian democracy are still in today’s democracy.
First, the Athenian democracy is very …show more content…
“In short, I assert that the city of Athens, taken all together, is a model for all Greece” (“PERICLES”). This was stated by Pericles, Greek statesman, himself and it showed how much pride and high regard the Athenians had for themselves. In America, we are known for having great respect and honor for the nation. Also, an element of Athenian democracy, sortition, is in a way still used today. “Depending on where you live, you may still be asked to participate in a jury or a citizens’ assembly” (Schwartzberg). Being randomly selected for these events are examples of sortition still be used today.
Athenian and contemporary democracy are different in many ways, but alike in a few ways. Athenian democracy is different than contemporary democracy because Athenian officials are chosen through sortition, while contemporary have elected officials, and because Athenian democracy is exclusive, while contemporary allows more people to have a say. They are similar because they both have pride in their government and some elements of Athenian democracy are still used in today’s