Greek Philosophers

...

Pericles impacted the rise of democracy in Athenian society through his system of democracy, use of democracy to glorify Athens, and his use of democracy to expand Athenian power. He emphasized to the people that if they worked together they could do a lot. His system of Democracy included Archonship for all and paying for jurors. Archonship for all let more people participate in the government, making things fairer for all Athenians. By paying for jurors he made government in Athens open to everyone so they could all take part. Pericles used democracy to glorify Athens by getting people motivated to work together and take pride in their city. He convinced the people to build structures for everyone to enjoy like the Parthenon and the Acropolis temples, which would later be rebuilt after the Persians destroyed them. By doing this he helped Athens take a sense of pride and patriotism in their city. Pericles expanded Athenian power using democracy by creating the Delian League in 478 BCE. This was an association of around 200 Greek city-states who were to continue the fight against the Persians after the Persian war had ended. Pericles used the money from the Delian League treasury to build a strong navy with around 200 of the most advanced warships called triremes. These triremes were built by Corinth, could go very fast, and had a bronze nose for ramming other ships. In 454 BCE the treasury of the Delian League was moved from Delos to Athens, which centralized the power around Athens. Athens eventually became so dominant over the other city-states that they all became a part of the Athenian Empire. In 429 BCE, Pericles was killed by plague, but he had already shaped democracy in a way that others had not; by getting the people of Athens to work together and get everyone to participate in their government.

The three main contributors to Athenian Democracy were Solon, Cleisthenes, and Pericles. Between these three men, a new way of life was set up that has carried through thousands of years later to modern day. Each one contributed something that set the stage for someone else to build upon. Solon gave to the people of Athens his political and economic reforms which solved the chaos in Athens for a short while, Cleisthenes gave to the people of Athens the districts and the dispersed spread of power to the Athenians, and Pericles who provided the people of Athens with pride, the Delian League, and an unparalleled unification. Each one of these individuals were unknowingly building upon each other’s ideas to build modern day Democracy.

Works Cited

"Solon's Reform - Solon and the Rise of Democracy." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

"Development of Democracy in Athens." Development of Democracy in Athens. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

"Solon, the Athenian Lawmaker - Greeka.com." Greeka. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.

"Cleisthenes' Creation of the Ten Tribes of Athens." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

"Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander." Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander, The Late Archaic City-State, The Democratic Reforms of Cleisthenes. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

"The Age of Pericles and His Athens." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.

Word Count: 1632