Athenian Democracy. To what extent was Athenian democracy an incomplete and restricted form of political suffrage? DISSECTING DEMOCRACY PLII001

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1 Athenian Democracy To what extent was Athenian democracy an incomplete and restricted form of political suffrage? DISSECTING DEMOCRACY PLII001 1

2 To what extent was Athenian democracy an incomplete and restricted form of political suffrage? When looking at the incompleteness and restrictions incorporated into the Athenian democratic system it is important to look at a number of factors. Firstly, a very limited number of people were actually allowed to vote and take part in effective representation. It can be argued that Athenian systems and practices had very little to offer the ordinary Athenian citizens. The Athenian city state had a different set of ideals for democracy than we would today. They sought respect for the law and justice, equality amongst Citizens and liberty. It is estimated that eighty percent of the population of Athens were not allowed to vote 1. This is because the electorate was not extended to entire categories of people such as women, children, slaves and immigrants. When looking at the concepts of a democracy of any kind or origin it is important to first define the meaning of the phrase democracy. The contemporary definition is included in the Oxford English Dictionary as a form of government in which the people have a voice in the exercise of power, typically through elected representatives 2. Since Athenian times many states have adopted the democratic system of government such as France, Germany and the United States which a new kind of constitution designed both to permit democratic government and to restrain it in the interests of freedom 3 the majority of these systems have very marked differences to the practices used in the Athenian city-state. It could be argued that the main reason as to the changes in the concept of democracy between Athenian and modern times is because of the failings that have been identified in the Athenian model. Modern society having looked at the civilization is now in a position to evolve beyond the 1 Scruton, R, Limits on Demoracy, New Criterion, January 2006, Volume 24, Issue 5, p , Accessed on 21 st January 2007, URL < 2 AskOxford.com, Democracy, Accessed on 21 st January 2007, URL < 3 Scruton, R., Limits on Demoracy, New Criterion, January 2006, Volume 24, Issue 5, p , Accessed on 21 st January 2007, URL < 2

3 point of the incomplete Athenian model towards a more inclusive practice with far greater political suffrage. Athenian democracy as with our own form of democracy had a set of political and legal institutions. The central pillar of Athenian democracy was the Assembly which was the font of sovereignty within Athens. The Assembly met on average forty times each year to decide on issues placed before it by the Council. The Council consisted of 500 members, 50 from each of the ten tribes (constituencies). In addition to these two bodies there was a Governing Committee of 50 members selected from the Council who each served for a period of approximately five weeks each. The second pillar of Athens was its legal system consisting of the Peoples Courts which was staffed by voluntary Citizens. Additionally the Military Generals of Athens were elected directly by the Assembly. Throughout the course of the Athenian model of governance many restrictions were imposed upon the citizens of Athens. One of the main restrictions which affected representation and in turn suffrage in Athens related to the relatively small number of people who were eligible to vote and take part in public debates. For hundreds of years before the birth of Athenian democracy women were excluded from politics. Athens did not change this tradition, women under Athenian democracy were unable to take part in the Assembly, Council, or the Peoples Court. Until relatively recent times all women regardless of age were excluded from interfering in all political systems. It was thought that women were of inferior mind and that their true place was in the home and at the side of the man. This general concept has been maintained throughout the world for many thousands of years and has changed relatively recently mainly since the beginning of the twentieth century. It wasn t until 1911 when the Representation of the People Act was introduced to Parliament in the United Kingdom and women were finally allowed to vote. Athens did not allow children to take part in political activity. Citizens being male adult slave owners whos families had lived in the city for two generations and were over the age of 3

4 20 were eligible to vote 4. This tradition is continued in a minorly modified form in most states children (usually defined as persons under the age of eighteen or twenty one in the European Context) are also excluded from political processes, the reason for this is relatively explanatory as they are considered not to be mature enough to consider political decisions effectively. In addition to women and children, slaves and all persons in service were also excluded from taking political roles and voting regardless of their age or gender. There were between 80,000 to 100,000 slaves resident within Athens. It is impossible for us to know an entirely accurate figure because they were not counted as full citizens of Athens are therefore did not appear on the census. This policy was continued in the United States of America and a number of other countries for many years during the era of slavery and the free trading of people. In the United Kingdom this policy was not adopted on a great scale as once political suffrage was extended from the minority, men over the age of 20 regardless of their occupation were entitled to vote. Under the Athenian system people who emigrated to the city were not entitled to vote regardless of age or gender. This was because a rule existed which prohibited people to vote if their fathers had not voted before them. Regardless of the origins of emigrating citizens it was made very difficult for them to integrate into the evolved society which would have almost inhibited the growth of the civilization as a result. In contemporary times this would be considered as a fanatical philosophy. In total around eighty percent of the population of the Athens city-state were not eligible to take part in any form of political practices. 5 4 Hague, R., and Martin Harrop, Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction, 6 th Ed., (Basingstoke, Palgrave MacMillan, 2004), p Scruton, R, Limits on Demoracy, New Criterion, January 2006, Volume 24, Issue 5, p , Accessed on 21 st January 2007, URL < 4

5 This demonstrates that regardless of how much of a democratic ideal Athens held it was not essentially a democracy as we would recognize today because of its essentially limited suffrage. The manner in which the Athenian model of governance was implemented was of very great benefit to the ruling class and of not a great deal of assistance to the ordinary citizens of Athens. As it was only the upper class houses of Athens which were entitled to vote only the issues of the upper class families were addressed at meetings of the demos. This could have greatly inhibited the advancement of the civilization of Athens as full cultural adaption relies on the cooperation of the masses. There was no concept of equality of rights in Athens, true rights were only held by those who could afford them. The active enforcement of a lack of basic rights for slaves increased the divide between the upper and lower class citizens. The Athenian system also led to competition between families and households which could in some ways be considered as the basis of modern political parties. This is because in the demos groups of equally opinioned citizens would gather together to work toward a common source. The idea of democracy in Athens is relatively new. Greek writers either warned against democracy, or regarded is as simply one among many forms of political order, and not intrinsically preferable to its competitors 6. This suggests the people of Athens did in no way regard their civilization as a democracy as we understand the term today or as it was understood by political philosophers of the era. A central problem with Athenian democracy was they even those eligible to vote rarely attended Assembly meetings to discuss affairs of the state. This helped the small group of elite who were in power to stay in power because they were the main group who attended meetings. The Athenian Council introduced a mechanism where members attending Assembly meetings were paid for their attendance, this however failed to 6 Scruton, R, Limits on Demoracy, New Criterion, January 2006, Volume 24, Issue 5, p , Accessed on 21 st January 2007, URL < 5

6 encourage larger numbers of Citizens to attend as there were on average forty meetings each year. Plato was essentially against the Athenian city state model. This was not due to the lack of political suffrage but due to the vast lack of understanding of politics amongst Generals and Citizens in the Assembly. Plato argued that in Athenian democracy people were ruled by their emotions and not by their intelligence. This meant that there were no good ideas and no central knowledge base that was needed for effectively managing the affairs of Athens. He argued that Athenian democracy did not understand that people need to be trained as in order for a philosopher to learn philosophy he must be trained as the skills cannot simply be acquired. 7 He sought better educational worth for the city because he feared that if the city continued to forge its groundings around uneducated men democracy would loose credence. Plato argued that there were two essential flaws in Athenian democracy one is the ubiquity of ignorance masquerading in the guise of knowledge: the other is political selfishness which divides every city into two hostile cities, standing in the state and posture of gladiators over and against one another 8. This means that essentially Plato believed that Athenian Citizens were ignorant as to their failures and knowledge gaps. In conclusion, there are many reasons why the Athenian model of democracy could be considered as restricted and incomplete. Essentially one of the main downfalls of Athens was the almost complete lack of political suffrage for a large portion of the state. The Athenian model made it impossible for women, children, slaves and immigrants to take any active role in democracy which by modern standards would make Athens essentially none democratic. None of the institutions of Athens were intended to be ever used by the majority of the population. The Peoples Court is possibly the best example of this in that only Citizens sat as Judges in the Court but the Court had jurisdiction over the whole state, therefore it 7 Cross, R.C., and A.D. Woozley, Platos Republic: A Philosphical Commentary, (Basingstoke: MacMillan Press, 1971), p Cross, R.C., and A.D. Woozley, Platos Republic: A Philosphical Commentary, (Basingstoke: MacMillan Press, 1971) 6

7 was possible for the common citizen to break the law and receive punishment but not for the citizen to take any role in the law making or consultation process. Plato who in modern times is regarded as a leading Athenian scholar was during the existence of Athens considered to be a traitor of Athens due to his radical forward political ideals. 7

8 Bibliography Primary Sources Axtmann, R., Democratic Politics, (London: Sage Publications, 2003) Barker, E., Greek Political Theory: Plato and His Predecessors, (London: Methuen, 1964) Bentley, R., and Alan Dobson, Maggie Grant, David Roberts, British Politics in Focus, 2 nd Ed., (Ormskirk: Causeway Press Limited, 2002) Beetham, D., A Beginners Guide to Democracy, (Oxford: Oneworld, 2005) Crick, B., Democracy, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002) Cross, R.C., and A.D. Woozley, Platos Republic: A Philosphical Commentary, (Basingstoke: MacMillan Press, 1971) Dahl, R.A., On Democracy, (Yale: Yale University Press, 2000) Hague, R., and Martin Harrop, Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction, 6 th Ed., (Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004) Held, D., Models of Democracy, 3 rd Ed., (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2006) Heyward, A., Politics, 2 nd Ed., (Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, 2002) Newton, K., and Jan W. Van Deth, Foundations of Comparative Politics, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005) Parry, G., and Michael Morgan, Democracy and Democratization, (London: Routledge, 1994) 8

9 Secondary Sources Blakewell, C., Athenian Democracy: A Brief Overview, Accessed on 22 nd January 2007, URL< Scruton, R, Limits on Demoracy, New Criterion, January 2006, Volume 24, Issue 5, p , Accessed on 21 st January 2007, URL< st-live> AskOxford.com, Democracy, Accessed on 21 st January 2007, URL< < 9