OCR Classical Civilisation Democracy and the Athenians overview quiz quiz

Cleisthenes

Themistocles

Ephialtes

Peisistratus

He created the full radical democracy, complete with sortition and the Council of 500

He laid early foundations: ending debt-slavery and creating property classes

He stripped the aristocratic council of the Areopagus of nearly all its powers

He introduced state pay for jury service so that poorer citizens could take part

Free grants of farming land to landless poorer citizens

Compulsory voting in the Assembly, enforced with fines

Pay for jury service and other offices

The complete abolition of the Council of 500

The Council of 500, which prepared business for debate

The popular law courts staffed by large citizen juries

The ancient aristocratic council known as the Areopagus

The Assembly (ekklesia) of all adult male citizens

By lot (sortition)

By a direct vote in the Assembly

By hereditary birthright

By the council of the Areopagus

Because they were aristocrats whom the law barred from ever being chosen by lot

Because military command needed proven expertise

Because the post was unpaid, so only volunteers could ever be drawn from the lot

Because the Assembly distrusted the lottery and abolished sortition for all offices

A formal trial held before a citizen jury for the crime of treason

A special tax levied on the richest citizens to fund the war effort

An annual vote allowing the Assembly to exile a citizen for ten years

A religious ceremony of purification performed before the Assembly met

Only slaves, while everyone else born free could take a full part

Only the poorest property class, who were barred from voting outright

Only resident foreigners, the metics, while women could vote freely

Women, metics (resident foreigners) and slaves

Because citizens decided policy and verdicts directly, so persuasion was the key to influence

Because writing was rare and almost no Athenian citizen was able to read out a written speech

Because political leaders held permanent office and ruled without facing any votes

Because the gods of the city expressly demanded eloquence as a form of public worship

That the Assembly never once changed its collective mind after taking a vote on any matter at all

Both the danger of persuasion (a brutal decree) and its safeguard (the people could reverse it)

That demagogues such as Cleon always won every debate they entered in the Assembly

That Athens was in reality a hidden monarchy ruled by one man behind the scenes

That it is far too peaceful and refuses ever to go to war to defend its interests

That it cruelly excludes the poorest citizens from any share in political power

That it empowers the 'worst' (poor and ignorant) over the 'best' and serves the masses

That it relies entirely on a line of hereditary kings drawn from the old aristocratic families

As neutral, objective verdicts that can simply be reported as plain historical fact

As conclusive proof that the Athenian democracy failed and deserved to be overthrown

As wholly irrelevant, since the views of these contemporaries tell us nothing of value at all

Critically, since many critics (the Old Oligarch, Plato, Aristophanes) were hostile elites