A democratic form of government first developed in the ancient city-state of Athens in the fifth century BCE. The systems of democracy are some of the significant aspects of human life invented by the Ancient Greeks, which enabled the society to enjoy freedoms even during the present times. In this regard, the essay explores the genesis of democracy from the Greek point of view and the influence of the Athenian government on the foundation of American democracy.
By fifth century BCE, the Athenian leader, Cleisthenes, had already introduced political reforms systems that had three foundations, which formed the building blocks for a democratic form of government. The Dikasteria, which represented the court systems, the Boule formed the representation of the ten Athenian tribes, and the most significant, Ekklesia, formed the organ, which was responsible for the formation of policies and laws. The driving force behind the democratic establishment was because Greece, at the time, had more than three hundred thousand residents who were mostly slaves and foreigners who lacked political rights, and approximately only 20 percent of the population was eligible to vote (Osborne, 2018). The ruler at the time, Eupatridae, amassed themselves with privileges and rights, prompting civil unrest due to the majority that felt excluded. Salon was then appointed to create the constitution that later formed the groundwork for Athenian democracy.
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The US has been cited as the strongest proponent of the present democratic society. However, the Greeks are often credited as the pioneers of democratic governments that have influenced the structure of the US. By the year 1776, the founding fathers of the US government had an opportunity to compare the already established forms of government throughout the history of the world. The Greek system of self-government and the Roman model were the ideal forms, which the US government would later base as the foundation for their government. For instance, the formation of the local governments in separate states and one national government acting as a dominant authority represents the community structure of an ancient Greek polis that composed an urban center and the land surrounding it (Raaflaub et al., 2017). Additionally, the city-states had a set of rules by which all people were required to adhere to. Similarly, the US today holds the principle that ensures that the laws are publicly accessed, independently judged, and equally enforced.
References
Osborne, R., (2018). Athens and Athenian democracy . New York: Cambridge University Press.
Raaflaub, K. A., Ober, J., & Wallace, R. W. (2017). Origins of democracy in ancient Greece . Berkeley: University of California Press.
