Current Events
by Amy Austin
Greece:
The Roots of Democracy
...for Class Afloat News, May 12, 1997
Six centuries before the birth of Christ in a land far, far away, known as Athens, Greece, a man named Solon (638-559 BC) developed a form of government that would change the world. Many centuries later, this new form of government stretches around the globe to other peoples who desire to choose how they are governed. As all may guess, this form of government is democracy (Greek for “the people rule”).
Solon became chief magistrate of Athens in 594 BC during a time of agricultural depression in Greece. He made many changes to ensure food would be distributed properly and encouraged farmers to develop other trades to help them make it through the difficult time.
He then created a four class system, divided by how much and what kind of wealth a person possessed. For the first time even men who did not possess property were allowed to participate in public assemblies, although they could not hold office. These individuals made up the fourth class and were known as thetes.
Today, Solon is known as the man to emancipate (give freedom to) the individual citizen, but in his own time he became quite unpopular. Aristocrats felt their power was taken away unfairly, while the lowest classes felt their needs still were not met. The hostility toward him became so great he was forced to leave Athens for ten years.Due to the extreme world population increase since ancient times, a “true” democracy, where all citizens have a voice in every decision, is almost impossible to maintain. In its place, the “republic” was created where all people elect representatives who they expect to act for their behalf.
Since the time of Solon, Greece has gone through many changes in government. For a period of time the monarchy system was reinstalled. Today, Greece is known as a republic. Citizens elect members to parliament, who in turn elect the president. The leader of parliament is the prime minister, who holds this position until his party loses majority in parliament. Presently, the president of Greece is Kostis Stephanopoulos and the prime minister is Constantine Simitis.