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When Did Greek Democracy End

Decent Essays

Address the question of how Greek democracy ended.
The Greek democracy, which began as a result of the political reformation by Cleisthenes, was indeed an envy of its era and the pride of the Athenian people. Being a clever political leader, Cleisthenes established a system, which he called demokratia, or “rule by the people”. This political reformation, which consists of three bodies- the ekklesia, the boule, and the dikasteria lasted for almost two centuries before its dramatic demise (Ancient Greek Democracy, 2010).
However, the eventual demise of the Greek democracy did not occur as a surprise as various catastrophic events affected the continuity of the system. One of such catastrophic event that occurred in Greece was the Peloponnesian war. Apparently, the Peloponnesian War brought a massive financial crisis to the Athenian government. As a result of this crisis, wealthy aristocrats were under severe pressure to maintain and sustain their status in the society at the detriment of the poor. The freedom and bond created by democracy, which they pledge to defend were abandoned; thereby, creating two classes of people in the Athenian society- the wealthy class …show more content…

The poor class of the Athenian majority bored the brunt of the negative impact of the financial crisis. Salaries of workers became difficult to come by and citizens could not afford the basic necessity of life. All the benefits that come with democracy- freedom to participate in the assembly, the unity of purpose, and the future of a sustainable life suddenly disappeared. Even the wealthy aristocrats who were in government were no longer sure of their allegiance to the Athenian government. The poor people who make up the majority of the population completely lost interest in the system; democracy was in deep

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