Lesson 2: The Glory of Athens (Ancient Greece)
👑 Aristocrats and Tyrants Rule
In early Athens, only rich landowners called aristocrats had power. They made laws and owned the best land. Most people were poor farmers or craftsmen with no say in government.
🏛 Life wasn’t fair! Imagine being a hard-working farmer but having no power at all. The aristocrats made all the decisions—even about your land!
😠 The Rise of Tyrants
People grew tired of unfair rule. Some leaders took power by force. These rulers were called tyrants. But in Ancient Greece, “tyrant” didn’t always mean bad! Some tyrants helped the poor, gave out land, and made life better.
📜 Story Time! One famous tyrant was Peisistratus. He gave loans to farmers and created festivals for the gods. People loved him so much, he ruled for many years!
💰 Common Currency
To help trade, Athens and other Greek cities started using a common currency—coins! This made it easier to buy and sell goods, even in faraway places.
🗳️ Athens Creates Democracy
Later, the people of Athens wanted to make the government more fair. In 508 BCE, a leader named Cleisthenes changed things.
🧑🤝🧑 Democracy Under Cleisthenes
Cleisthenes gave all free men (not slaves or women) the right to vote and help make laws. This new system was called democracy, meaning “rule by the people.”
✋ Imagine this: Once a year, people wrote the name of a bad leader on a piece of pottery. If one name came up too many times, that person was kicked out of the city for 10 years! This was called ostracism.
📜 Changes in Athenian Democracy
Over time, Athens added more rights. Citizens could speak in the assembly, vote on laws, and even be chosen to sit on a jury. The laws were written down, and leaders had to follow them too.
Athens was proud of its constitution—a set of rules for the government.
🏛️ End of Democracy in Athens
But democracy in Athens didn’t last forever. After a long war with Sparta, Athens became weak. Other rulers took control, and democracy ended for many years.
⚖️ Ancient vs. Modern Democracy
Athens had the first democracy, but it was not the same as today.
🏟️ Direct Democracy
In Athens, all citizens met to vote on every law. This is called direct democracy.
🧍♂️🧍♀️ Every citizen had to walk to the assembly and raise their hand to vote. They didn’t have phones or apps—just their voices and hands!
🏛️ Representative Democracy
Today, many countries use representative democracy. This means people vote for leaders who make the laws for them. It’s easier for big countries like the USA, where millions of people live.
📘 Summary
At first, Athens was ruled by aristocrats and then by tyrants.
Cleisthenes started the first democracy where citizens could vote.
Ancient Athens used direct democracy, while modern countries use representative democracy.
Democracy was one of Athens’ greatest gifts to the world!