POLS 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Cleisthenes, Peisistratos, Tyrant
9 Nov 2018
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POLS 1000 - Tutorial 8
*1. Explain how democracy developed in Ancient Athens by identifying the main protagonists, the
democratic reforms, and the progress for democracy that the reforms represent.
LECTURE 4
• What was Athens before it became a democracy?
o Athens was an aristocracy. What does this mean? People were ruled by the few.
• What happened that lead to democratic reforms being a necessity?
o Two forces that were excluded from the aristocratic regime were merchants and peasants.
o This exclusion lead to civil strife/war.
o The aristocrats created two new politicians: legislators and tyrants.
o Define legislator – citizen impartial to conflict, elevated above the fray, to create new
legislation capable of avoiding civil war.
o 1st legislator – Draco; codified the laws
▪ Before this; legal decisions favored the aristocrats
o 2nd legislator – solon
▪ Abolished debt-based slavery
▪ Economic reforms – especially specialization
▪ Divided Athenians into four different classes of property owners. This was
important because the aristocrats now had to share power with the merchants.
o Define tyrant – elevated by the people in order to govern according to the people’s needs
o 1st tyrant – Pisistratus: democratized culture; no longer just enjoyed by aristocrats.
o 3rd legislator – Kleisthenes; extended citizenship beyond aristocracy.
▪ Age of majority, free, and citizen
▪ Property no longer a requirement
▪ Created constitutional reforms: destroy the aristocrats hold on political power
created by ancestral tribes. He broke their power by creating new demes.
▪ They had to share political power and engage in warfare together.
o He reduced the power of the aristocratic council and increased the power of the assembly.
o Thanks to him isonomy becomes the fundamental principle of democracy in Athens.
Define what isonomy is and the two parts of it.
4. In The Principles of Representative Government, Bernard Manin argues that modern representative
government is a “mixed regime”. Explain precisely what he means by this, how he comes to this conclusion,
and why he speaks of the “benefits of ambiguity”.
LECTURE 9
• Mixed regime – there is aristocratic and democratic elements
o Aristocratic
▪ When referring to aristocracy, we are not referring to hereditary nobility but that
the regime favors the great in society.
▪ Elections are a key aristocratic element. There are four reasons for them being
aristocratic.
1. We do not treat candidates equally.
• We are not obliged to follow impartial guidelines
2. Candidates must be distinguished.
• Because voting is a situation of choice, you must distinguish between
candidates.
• Who would be “ideal”, or unique. Lack of similarity to oneself.
3. Humans tend to give an advantage to salience.
• Someone who stands out.
Document Summary
Explain how democracy developed in ancient athens by identifying the main protagonists, the democratic reforms, and the progress for democracy that the reforms represent. Lecture 4: what was athens before it became a democracy, athens was an aristocracy. Define what isonomy is and the two parts of it: in the principles of representative government, bernard manin argues that modern representative government is a mixed regime . Explain precisely what he means by this, how he comes to this conclusion, and why he speaks of the benefits of ambiguity . Lecture 9: mixed regime there is aristocratic and democratic elements, aristocratic, when referring to aristocracy, we are not referring to hereditary nobility but that the regime favors the great in society, elections are a key aristocratic element. This would seem to suggest the people who govern should be from among the people who are ruled.
