democritus reformed the athenian constitution into a true democracy.
democritus reformed the athenian constitution into a true democracy.
who reformed the athenian constitution into a true democracy?
democritus
the great law-giver, solon, having served as archon of athens for 22 years, retired from public life and saw the city, almost immediately, fall under the dictatorship of peisistratus. though a dictator, peisistratus understood solon's wisdom, carried on his policies and after his death, his son hippias continued this tradition (though maintaining a dictatorship that favored the aristocracy). his younger brother was assassinated (inspired, according to thucydides, by a love affair gone wrong and not, as later thought, politically motivated) hippias then became wary of the athenians, instituted a rule of terror and was finally overthrown by the army under kleomenes i of sparta and cleisthenes of athens. cleisthenes reformed the athenian constitution and established democracy in the city during 507 bce. he also followed solon's lead, but instituted new laws that decreased the artistocracy's power, raised the status of the common people and attempted to join the separate tribes of the mountain, the plain and the shore into one, unified people under a new form of government. according to will durant, "the athenians themselves were exhilarated by this adventure into sovereignty...they knew the zest of freedom in action, speech and thought; and from that moment they began to lead all greece in literature and art, even in statesmanship and war". this foundation of democracy, of a free state consisting of men who "owned the soil that they tilled and who ruled the state that governed them", stabilized athens and provided the groundwork for the golden age.
hellenic studies
alcibiades seemed to assume that the "radical democracy" would never agree to his recall to athens. therefore, he exchanged messages with the athenian leaders at samos and suggested that if they could install an oligarchy friendly to him he would return to athens and bring with him persian money and possibly the persian fleet of 147 triremes. alcibiades set about winning over the most influential military officers, and achieved his goal by offering them a threefold plan: the athenian constitution was to be changed, the recall of alcibiades was to be voted, and alcibiades was to win over tissaphernes and the king of persia to the athenian side. most of the officers in the athenian fleet accepted the plan and welcomed the prospect of a narrower constitution, which would allow them a greater share in determining policy. according to thucydides, only one of the athenian generals at samos, phrynichus, opposed the plan and argued that alcibiades cared no more for the proposed oligarchy than for the traditional democracy. the involvement in the plot of another general, thrasybulus, remains unclear.
alcibiades