How Has Greek Democracy Changed Over Time

Our understanding of democracy has changed significantly since the ancient Greeks first practiced it. One of the reasons our understanding has changed is the way human nature has evolved since the time of the ancient Greeks. If we compare the way democracy has changed, we see that the democracy that we enjoy as Americans was not the same democracy that was practiced in ancient Greek. In this paper, I will attempt to describe the way our understanding of democracy has changed. If we read Sartori, he describes Greek democracy as a direct democracy and American democracy as a representative democracy, but explains that the ruler and the ruled were not the same in terms of Greek democracy. However, this form of democracy was the closest to a literal democracy where leaders and average people stood side-by-side and dealt with issues. He goes on to explain that the difference between direct democracy and representative democracy is very different because of the limitation and control of power that comes with an indirect democracy.

He points out that in an indirect democracy, there are those who govern and those who are governed; there is a large separation between the citizens and the

He cites three different distinctions of democracy: an ideal, an illusion, and a reality. One should keep these three aspects of democracy separate, though democracy as an ideal and a reality, interact. Sartori goes on to say that the three ideals of democracy as: popular sovereignty, equality, and self-government contradict each other, thus making democracy an illusion. One distinction that Sartori names is a democracy being a reality. Everyone likes the “ideals” of democracy, this is so democracy is accepted as ideal. After it’s accepted, it turns into an “illusion.” This is because democracy cannot have “rule by the whole people.” Because of this, if only a few are to govern, then true “equality”