Ancient Greek Government Essay

Exploring Ancient Greek Governments

The Ancient Greeks were particularly concerned with such fundamental questions as who should rule and how? Should sovereignty lie in the rule of law, the constitution, officials, or the citizens? These are not questions that plague those in power in our modern era however caused great conflict in Ancient Greece (Cartwright, 2013). From one polis to the next, each had the right to determine (some taken by force) how their city-state would be ran and by whom. Monarchy, tyranny, aristocracy, oligarchy and democracy are all forms of government the ruled the different polies in Ancient Greece.

Monarchy as a form of government in Ancient Greece was the idea that a successor from a line of leaders and men in power could rule over the land. In the Greek world, however, monarchies were rare and were often only distinguished from a tyranny when the hereditary ruler was more benevolent and ruled in the genuine interest of his people

Of the five governments detailed in this assignment only two continue to present in modern society, monarchy and democracy. Monarchy governments exist in countries ruled by kings and queens, while democracy governments exit under the leadership of presidents. By the time of Aristotle (fourth century BC) there were hundreds of Greek democracies (Cartledge, 2011). Although many of these forms of government no longer exist or are practice today, they did pave the way for modern government. We can compare apples to oranges the similarities and differences of, for example, the US presidency to that of a monarch government. We’d clearly see how ancient roots continue to take shape today government for the best and for the