How did Pericles dominate Athens for so long, and was Athens really ruled by the people or by one man?
The career and leadership of Pericles: his repeated election as general (strategos), the building programme on the Acropolis, the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War and his strategy, his death in the plague of 429 BC, and the debate over whether Athens was ruled by the people or by Pericles, studied through Thucydides and Plutarch.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the leadership of Pericles between 462 and 429 BC, covering his repeated election as general, the Acropolis building programme, the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War and his strategy, his death in the plague of 429 BC, and the debate over whether Athens was ruled by the people or by one man, studied through Thucydides and Plutarch.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point is about the man who gives the period its name: Pericles. You need his career (repeated election as general, the building programme, the start of the Peloponnesian War, his death in the plague) and you must engage the central debate: was Athens really ruled by the people, or by one man? Because this is a depth study, expect the 25-mark essay to turn on exactly this question, and expect source-utility questions on Thucydides and Plutarch.
The answer
Pericles and the office of general
Achievements: democracy, buildings and empire
The Peloponnesian War and Pericles' strategy
Ruled by the people, or by one man?
The strongest answers argue that he led the democracy by persuasion rather than ruling it, so the truth lies between the two.
Examples in context
A model answer balances Pericles' dominance against the sovereignty of the Assembly and reaches a clear, supported judgement, using Thucydides critically.
Try this
Q1. What was the only formal office Pericles held, and how often was it filled? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. General (strategos), one of a board of ten elected by the citizens each year; Pericles was re-elected almost every year.
Q2. Explain why some historians argue Athens was ruled by Pericles rather than by the people. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Because he was re-elected general year after year and dominated the Assembly through his prestige and oratory, leading policy for some thirty years, so Thucydides could call Athens "in name a democracy but in fact rule by the first man", although the Assembly still held the final vote.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J198/01 202020 marks'Athens in this period was ruled by Pericles, not by the people.' How far do you agree? [the depth-study essay; the real tariff is 25 marks, shown here within the 20-mark schema cap]Show worked answer →
A depth-study extended essay (AO1 and AO2), shown at the 25-mark style. Argue both sides with precise support and judge.
For the statement. Pericles was elected general year after year, dominated the Assembly through his prestige and oratory, drove the building programme, and shaped the war strategy; Thucydides says Athens was "in name a democracy but in fact rule by the first man".
Against the statement. Pericles held no special office, was re-elected each year by the citizens, could be (and was) fined and challenged, and every decision still required the Assembly's vote, so the demos kept ultimate power.
Judgement. Weigh his dominance against the sovereignty of the Assembly and reach a supported conclusion, for example that he led the democracy by persuasion rather than ruling it, so both are partly true.
OCR J198/01 20228 marksStudy Plutarch's Life of Pericles. How useful is this source for understanding Pericles' leadership? [8-mark depth-study source-utility question]Show worked answer →
A depth-study source-utility question (AO3). Judge usefulness through content and provenance.
Content. Plutarch describes Pericles' character, his oratory, his building programme and his dominance of Athens; draw out the relevant detail.
Provenance. Plutarch wrote around AD 100, centuries after Pericles, as a moralising biographer drawing on earlier sources; he is valuable for Pericles' reputation and anecdote but far from the events and shaped by his biographical purpose.
Judgement. Conclude that he is useful for Pericles' reputation and the tradition about him, but must be treated cautiously because he is very late and moralising; judge value for the specific enquiry.
Related dot points
- The democratic reforms of 462 to 429 BC: the reforms of Ephialtes stripping power from the Areopagus, Pericles' introduction of pay for office and jury service, and how these changes created a radical direct democracy, studied through Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia and Plutarch.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the democratic reforms of Ephialtes and Pericles between 462 and 429 BC, covering the stripping of power from the Areopagus, the introduction of pay for jurors and office-holders, how Athens became a radical direct democracy, and how to use Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia and Plutarch as sources.
- The workings of Athenian democracy: the Assembly, the Council of 500, the popular courts and the use of the lot and ostracism, who counted as a citizen, and the exclusion of women, slaves and metics, studied through Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia and Thucydides' funeral oration.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on how Athenian direct democracy worked between 462 and 429 BC, covering the Assembly, the Council of 500, the popular courts, the lot and ostracism, who counted as a citizen, and the exclusion of women, slaves and metics, studied through Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia and Thucydides' funeral oration.
- The transformation of the Delian League into an Athenian empire: the founding of the League against Persia, the move of the treasury from Delos to Athens in 454 BC, the suppression of allies who revolted, and how empire funded Athenian power and the building programme, studied through Thucydides.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on how the Delian League became an Athenian empire between 462 and 429 BC, covering the founding of the League against Persia, the move of the treasury from Delos to Athens in 454 BC, the suppression of revolting allies, and how empire funded Athenian power and the building programme, studied through Thucydides.
- The prescribed sources for the Athens depth study: Thucydides as a contemporary historian (the funeral oration and the growth of empire), Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia as a later constitutional account, Plutarch's Life of Pericles as a much later biography, and how to weigh contemporary against later evidence.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History guide to the prescribed sources for the Athens in the Age of Pericles depth study, explaining how to use Thucydides as a contemporary historian (the funeral oration, the growth of empire), Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia as a later constitutional account and Plutarch's Life of Pericles as a much later biography, and how to weigh contemporary against later evidence.
- The depth-study extended essay: how to plan and structure the highest-tariff essay on the paper, integrate detailed knowledge with the prescribed sources where relevant, argue a balanced case and reach a sustained judgement, with the depth-study essay tariffed up to 25 marks.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History skills guide to the depth-study extended essay, explaining how to plan and structure the highest-tariff essay on the paper, integrate detailed knowledge with the prescribed sources, argue a balanced case and reach a sustained judgement, with the depth-study essay tariffed up to 25 marks.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Ancient History J198 specification — OCR (2017)
- Plutarch, Life of Pericles — Perseus Digital Library