ipl-logo

Compare And Contrast Sparta And Athenian Government

736 Words3 Pages

The main objective of this essay is to describe and investigate the structure of the government in the ancient Greece’s most powerful city states, namely, Athens and Sparta. Both city states have gone through various cycles of wars, reforms, social upheaval and unrests, and each of these elements has had influenced the development of the governmental systems that we have bettered or inherited today. Athenians saw the need for fundamental changes in the government, allowing them to pave the way for direct participation of their citizens and citizen’s initiative in the democracy and elimination of the some oligarchical elements. The Sparta, although not as democratic as Athens, allowed women to be far more than reproductive machines whom were expected …show more content…

Athenians participated in the public life and the process of decision making for the community, by the means of direct democracy; Thetes - all free male members who were also a citizen of Athens – had the right to partake in debates and passing laws in Ekklesia or “People’s Assembly”. According to Peter J. Brand (n.d), Athenians who had the right to practice in this governmental system did so in a Legislative counsel known as the Boule council (p. 19).
On the other hand, Spartan were warriors and Sparta was a militarized society. However, the governmental system of Sparta was more complex than a purely militaristic system. For instance, free male citizens of Sparta were a member of the Assembly. The assembly, formally had the power to elect Ephors who shared the executive branch with the two Kings. They could also choose the members of Gerousia, the Elite Counsel. Ephors and the Gerousia formed an Aristocratic alliance which in practice controlled and limited the role of the Assembly and the two Kings.
Who held public office? What rules governed the selection of public office

Show More
Related

  • Government System: Athenians Vs. Spartans

    1229 Words  | 5 Pages

    Zareef Peeroo Tim Bailey October 15, 2014 Athenians vs. Spartans The differences between government, the role of women, and the education status of Athens and Sparta led to similar yet very different societies residing in the same area; therefor I will deconstruct these issues using an analytical comparative framework. In, Athens and Sparta, it shows all the differences between the Athenians and the Spartans. Although the two City States shared a common heritage, their differences grew so large in their own minds that they were ultimately willing to engage in a life-and-death struggle to support their separate realities (Spielvogel).

    Read More

  • How Did Cleisthenes Respond To Public Life?

    1701 Words  | 7 Pages

    Pericles popularity is well known for harnessing that mob power to steer Athenian society, while Thucydides is known for claiming weaker demagauges (rabble rousers) that followed are what lead to Athens eventual downfall (Brand, 2013, p. 34). Sparta, being a oligarchy, had a much clearer set of public offices consisting of two kings, a weakly empowered assembly of all male citizens, powerful elders over age sixty called the Geriousia, and five annually elected magistrates called Ephors whose powers often contested the kings during their one year terms (Brand, 2013, p. 9). Much like the Metics of Athens, Periokoi were foreigners of ATHENIAN VERSUS SPARTAN GOVERNANCE 4 Sparta who could gain much wealth filling tradesmen roles, but would never participate in Spartan governance (Brand, 2013, p. 3). The only people allowed in public office were native born Spartans who met specific requirements.

    Read More

  • Essay On Spartan Government

    1292 Words  | 6 Pages

    In this essay, I would like to answer and discuss the following questions: How did the people in Athens and Sparta obtain the right to participate in public life and make decisions affecting the community? Who held public office? What rules governed the selection of public office holders? How were two city-states similar in their governmental structures and how did they differ with each other? For the Spartans the right to participate and made important decisions from the entire community were only exercised by the adult and legitimate male citizens of Sparta.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Why Sparta Is Better Than Athens

    458 Words  | 2 Pages

    There were many cases of bribery in the government that wasn't taken seriously by the court. In Sparta power was given to citizens through the assembly which consisted of all male citizens in Sparta, but in theory anyone could participate. The government had an elaborate system of checks and balances to make sure that no branch had more power than another. Also contrary to popular belief the Spartans treated there slaves bette than the Athenians. The slaves in Sparta were actually known as helots who were lower class citizens.

    Read More

  • Ancient Greece Source Analysis

    815 Words  | 4 Pages

    Additionally, the reliability affected by the emotive language being employed in this article as the author utilises this language it demonstrates that bias is present. This article was useful to my essay as it provided detailed information on the gaps in Athenian democracy. Moreover, the article provided a perspective that highlighted the differences in Athenian democracy such as that Athens was a direct democracy and that only some of the population was eligible, it mainly created a feeling that Athens was advanced for its time however the system had discrepancies. This information provided significantly when comparing modern societies to ancient Greece and also in justify as to why democracy was significant to Greece. A source that shares this view is the Ted-Ed video this also similarly to historian Paul Cartledge states that Athens was a direct democracy and also that not all of the population had the right to

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Athenian Democracy And American Democracy

    659 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Athenians had a direct democracy which allowed the citizens to directly decide and vote for who they wanted to rule their country. In Athens there were three bodies of the government. The Assembly is the first branch which included all citizens that showed up to cast their vote. The Assembly decided what new laws would be and they made important decisions regarding war, laws, etc.

    Read More

  • How Did Sparta A Form Of Government

    795 Words  | 4 Pages

    Athens used a form of government called a Democracy, ruled by the people. Since the people of Athens may have different opinions, leading to arguments fights and making family go against family in their own homeland. Yet, Sparta was ruled by few people so the Spartans could avoid all the tension. Therefore, oligarchy was the best form of government for the Spartans. Furthermore, Sparta was focused on their military.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Monarchy And Democracy In Ancient Greece

    903 Words  | 4 Pages

    Introduction Monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy and democracy were all forms of government found at different times and in different city-states in Ancient Greece. Elements of more than one of these forms also co-existed, however, and the modern connotations of labels such as these are not necessarily the same as those that prevailed in Ancient Greece. In this paper I firstly describe these various forms of government and provide examples of their use in Ancient Greece. I then compare and contrast the models.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Spartan Civilizations And Athens

    592 Words  | 3 Pages

    In their democracy, every male was required to participate regardless of his social standing. In the Athenian government, “no one, so long as he has it in him to be of service to the state is kept in political obscurity because of poverty.” This represents the Athenians belief that the people should have a role in politics and not just officials. The Athenians wanted to ensure equality and respect throughout the polis. Like the Athenians, the Spartans supported the idea that wealth should not limit a person.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Citizenship: Why Athens Was The Better System

    504 Words  | 3 Pages

    Unlike the Romans, Athenians had a strict but fair schedule that allowed them to enjoy citizenship equally. Equally, hard workers have brought Athens power just as much as hereditary leaders. According to Document B all citizens should be allowed to speak their opinion and have a share in election because of the hard work they do to make the city powerful. Athenians allowed poor and common men to win a position in government which was a transition from the wealthy having power to everyone having power.

    Read More

  • Athens Vs Sparta Compare And Contrast

    721 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, many of the world’s government structures were based on the principle of one of Greece’s city-states. Greece became a country advancing well before its time, strong in both military and brain power. This country was able to produce two city-states that became foundations to advancing the rest of the world. The first city-state, Athens, is thought to be the first to implement a democratic government while Sparta became known for their military power. While Athens and Sparta provide the world with advancements they differ in the ways of government structures, social motivations, and cultural differences.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Arete In Ancient Greece

    1134 Words  | 5 Pages

    What is a good person, and how does one achieve the good life? These were the questions asked by the ancient Greeks. Arete, or excellence, was what the Greeks strove for in everything. In a quest for excellence, the Greeks experimented with new types of politics. Greece was divided into individual city-states that each had their own form of government.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Ancient Greek And Roman Democracy

    1489 Words  | 6 Pages

    Every portion of the government directly represented its people - from the Council of 500 to the Ecclesia and the Court and Jury System - and citizens were payed and thus incentivized to participate in the system. They did their best to make an equitable system with the allocation of members through the 10 tribe system, the potential for scrutinization for any member of the government, and the randomization of jury members for trials. The Greeks were a tier above their Roman counterparts when it came to

    Read More

  • How Did Greece Express Humanistic Values?

    643 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Greeks displayed their humanistic values through government by they utilizing an effective system of self governing. This system was a direct democracy, defined as “government by the people” or “rule of the majority.” In the Athenian Democracy, the Assembly was the regular

    Read More

  • Polis In Ancient Greek Life

    1255 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Polis and Ancient Greek Life To the Ancient Greeks, the Polis was the center of their way of life. From socializing to conducting business to even deciding whether to go to war, the Polis was a very important aspect of the Greek’s lives. In the essay, the functions of the Polis will be discussed along with how the Polis managed to bring about the formation of Democracy, with the Polis of the city of Athens being the main example. The importance of the Polis will be explored through this essay because without the Polis, Democracy as we know it may not have ever formed. In ancient Greece, the Polis was the center of everything, consisting of the main town, but also farms and villages surrounding the polis.

    Read More

More about Compare And Contrast Sparta And Athenian Government

Open Document