Greek Democracy (3B Reading) PDF

3 Democracy and Greece’s Golden Age MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW TERMS & NAMES CULTURAL INTERACTION At its height, Greece...

3 Democracy and Greece’s Golden Age MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW TERMS & NAMES CULTURAL INTERACTION At its height, Greece set lasting direct Peloponnesian War Democratic principles and standards in art, politics, democracy philosopher classical culture flourished literature, and philosophy that classical art Socrates during Greece’s golden age. are still influential today. tragedy Plato comedy Aristotle SETTING THE STAGE For close to 50 years (from 477 to 431 B.C.), Athens experienced a growth in intellectual and artistic learning. This period is often called the Golden Age of Athens. During this golden age, drama, sculpture, poetry, philosophy, architecture, and science all reached new heights. The artis- tic and literary legacies of the time continue to inspire and instruct people around the world. TAKING NOTES Pericles’ Plan for Athens Recognizing Effects Use a web diagram to A wise and able statesman named Pericles led Athens during much of its golden organize information age. Honest and fair, Pericles held onto popular support for 32 years. He was a about Pericles‘ goals skillful politician, an inspiring speaker, and a respected general. He so dominated for Athens. the life of Athens from 461 to 429 B.C. that this period often is called the Age of Pericles. He had three goals: (1) to strengthen Athenian democracy, (2) to hold Pericles' Goals and strengthen the empire, and (3) to glorify Athens. Stronger Democracy To strengthen democracy, Pericles increased the number of public officials who were paid salaries. Earlier in Athens, most positions in public office were unpaid. Thus, only wealthier Athenian citizens could afford to Athenian and United States Democracy Athenian Democracy Both U.S. Democracy Citizens: male; 18 years old; Political power Citizens: born in United born of citizen parents exercised by citizens States or completed Laws voted on and Three branches of citizenship process proposed directly by government Representatives elected to assembly of all citizens Legislative branch propose and vote on laws Leader chosen by lot passes laws Elected president Executive branch composed Executive branch Executive branch made up of of a council of 500 men carries out laws elected and appointed officials Juries varied in size Judicial branch Juries composed of 12 jurors No attorneys; no appeals; conducts trials Defendants and plaintiffs have one-day trials with paid jurors attorneys; long appeals process 134 Chapter 5  hold public office. Now even the poorest citizen could serve if elected or chosen by lot. Consequently, Athens had more citizens engaged in self-government than any other city-state in Greece. This reform made Athens one of the most democratic governments in history. The introduction of direct democracy, a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives, was an important legacy of Periclean Athens. Few other city-states practiced this style of government. In Athens, male citizens who served in the assembly established all the important government poli- cies that affected the polis. In a speech honoring the Athenian war dead, Pericles expressed his great pride in Athenian democracy: PRIMARY SOURCE Analyzing Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority Primary Sources but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is How accurate equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person before another in do you consider positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership in a particular class, Pericles’ statement but the actual ability which the man possesses. No one, so long as he has it in him to that Athenian be of service to the state, is kept in political obscurity because of poverty. democracy was in PERICLES, “The Funeral Oration,” from Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War the hands of “the whole people“? Athenian Empire After the defeat of the Persians, Athens helped organize the Delian League. In time, Athens took over leadership of the league and dominated all the city- states in it. Pericles used the money from the league’s treas- ury to make the Athenian navy the strongest in the Mediterranean. A strong navy was important because it helped Athens strengthen the safety of its empire. Prosperity depended on gaining access to the surrounding waterways. Athens needed overseas trade to obtain supplies of grain and other raw materials. Athenian military might allowed Pericles to treat other members of the Delian League as part of the empire. Some cities in the Peloponnesus, however, resisted Athens and formed their own alliances. As you will read later in this section, Sparta in particular was at odds with Athens. Pericles 495–429 B.C. Pericles came from a rich and high- Glorifying Athens Pericles also used money from the ranking noble family. His aristocratic Delian League to beautify Athens. Without the league’s father had led the Athenian assembly approval, he persuaded the Athenian assembly to vote huge and fought at the Battle of Salamis in sums of the league’s money to buy gold, ivory, and marble. the Persian Wars. His mother was the Still more money went to pay the artists, architects, and niece of Cleisthenes, the Athenian workers who used these materials. noble who had introduced important democratic reforms. Pericles was well known for his Glorious Art and Architecture political achievements as leader of Pericles’ goal was to have the greatest Greek artists and Athens. Pericles the man, however, was harder to know. One historian wrote: architects create magnificent sculptures and buildings to “[He] no doubt, was a lonely man.... glorify Athens. At the center of his plan was one of He had no friend... [and] he only architecture’s noblest works—the Parthenon. went out [of his home] for official Architecture and Sculpture The Parthenon, a masterpiece business.” of architectural design and craftsmanship, was not unique in style. Rather, Greek architects constructed the 23,000- RESEARCH LINKS For more on square-foot building in the traditional style that had been Pericles, go to classzone.com used to create Greek temples for 200 years. This temple, Classical Greece 135  built to honor Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the protector of Athens, con- tained examples of Greek art that set standards for future generations of artists around the world. Pericles entrusted much of the work on the Parthenon to the sculptor Phidias (FIDH ee uhs). Within the temple, Phidias crafted a giant statue of Athena that not only contained such precious materials as gold and ivory, but also stood over 30 feet tall. Phidias and other sculptors during this golden age aimed to create figures that were graceful, strong, and perfectly formed. Their faces showed neither joy nor anger, only serenity. Greek sculptors also tried to capture the grace of the idealized human body in motion. They wanted to portray ideal beauty, not realism. Their val- ues of harmony, order, balance, and proportion became the standard of what is called classical art. Drama and History ▼ This poster The Greeks invented drama as an art form and built the first theaters in the West. promotes an 1898 Theatrical productions in Athens were both an expression of civic pride and a trib- production of Euripides’ Medea, ute to the gods. As part of their civic duty, wealthy citizens bore the cost of pro- starring the great ducing the plays. Actors used colorful costumes, masks, and sets to dramatize French actress stories. The plays were about leadership, justice, and the duties owed to the gods. Sarah Bernhardt. They often included a chorus that danced, sang, and recited poetry. Tragedy and Comedy The Greeks wrote two kinds of drama—tragedy and comedy. A tragedy was a serious drama about common themes such as love, hate, war, or betrayal. These dramas featured a main character, or tragic hero. The hero usually was an important person and often gifted with extraordinary abilities. A tragic flaw usually caused the hero’s downfall. Often this flaw was hubris, or excessive pride. In ancient times, Greece had three notable dramatists who wrote tragedies. Aeschylus (EHS kuh luhs) wrote more than 80 plays. His most famous work is the trilogy—a three-play series—Oresteia (ohr res TEE uh). It is based on the family of Agamemnon, the Mycenaean king who commanded the Greeks at Troy. The plays examine the idea of justice. Sophocles (SAHF uh kleez) wrote more than 100 plays, including the tragedies Oedipus the King and Antigone. Euripides (yoo RIP uh DEEZ), author of the play Medea, often featured strong women in his works. In contrast to Greek tragedies, a comedy contained scenes filled with slapstick situations and crude humor. Playwrights often made fun of politics and respected people and ideas of the time. Aristophanes (AR ih STAHF uh neez) wrote the first great comedies for the stage, including The Birds and Lysistrata. Lysistrata portrayed the women of Athens forcing their husbands to end the Peloponnesian War. The fact that Athenians could listen to criticism of themselves showed the freedom and Contrasting openness of public discussion that existed in democratic Athens. How did tragedy differ from History As you learned earlier in this chapter, there are no written records comedy? from the Dorian period. The epic poems of Homer recount stories, but are not accurate recordings of what took place. Herodotus, a Greek who lived in Athens for a time, pioneered the accurate reporting of events. His book on the Persian Wars is considered the first work of history. However, the greatest historian of the classical age was the Athenian Thucydides (thoo SID ih DEEZ). He believed that certain types of events and political situations recur over time. Studying those events and situations, he felt, would aid in understanding the present. The approaches Thucydides used in his work still guide historians today. 136 Chapter 5  Athenians and Spartans Go to War As Athens grew in wealth, prestige, and power, other city-states began to view it with hostility. Ill will was especially strong between Sparta and Athens. Many peo- ple thought that war between the two was inevitable. Instead of trying to avoid con- flict, leaders in Athens and Sparta pressed for a war to begin, as both groups of leaders believed their own city had the advantage. Eventually, Sparta declared war on Athens in 431 B.C. Peloponnesian War When the Peloponnesian War between the two city-states began, Athens had the stronger navy. Sparta had the stronger army, and its location inland meant that it could not easily be attacked by sea. Pericles’ strategy was to Analyzing Motives avoid land battles with the Spartan army and wait for an opportunity to strike What might Sparta and its allies from the sea. have been Pericles’ Eventually, the Spartans marched into Athenian territory. They swept over the goals in the countryside, burning the Athenian food supply. Pericles responded by bringing res- Peloponnesian War? idents from the surrounding region inside the city walls. The city was safe from hunger as long as ships could sail into port with supplies from Athenian colonies and foreign states. In the second year of the war, however, disaster struck Athens. A frightful plague swept through the city, killing perhaps one-third of the population, including Pericles. Although weakened, Athens continued to fight for several years. Then, in 421 B.C., the two sides, worn down by the war, signed a truce. Sparta Gains Victory The peace did not last long. In 415 B.C., the Athenians sent a huge fleet carrying more than 20,000 soldiers to the island of Sicily. Their plan was to destroy the city-state of Syracuse, one of Sparta’s wealthiest allies. The expedition ended with a crushing defeat in 413 B.C. In his study of the Pelopon- nesian War, Thucydides recalled: “[The Athenians] were destroyed with a total 42°N 16°E 24°E Black Sea Peloponnesian War, 431–404 B.C. THRACE Byzantium Adriatic MACEDONIA Sea Amphipolis (422 B.C.) Cyzicus (410 B.C.) Aegospotami (405 B.C.) Spartalos (429 B.C.) Cynossema (411 B.C.) PERSIAN EMPIRE Aegean Arginusae Islands (406 B.C.) Ionian Sea Sea GREECE IONIA Thebes Delium (424 B.C.) Athenian victory Ephesus Spartan victory Athens Notium (407 B.C.) Athens and allies Corinth Sicily Sparta and allies Miletus Neutral states Mantinea (418 B.C.) Syracuse (413 B.C.) Sparta Sphacteria (425 B.C.) Mediterranean Sea 0 100 Miles GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps 0 200 Kilometers 1. Location Where were most of the allies of Athens located? 2. Movement Why was the sea important to Athens during the Peloponnesian War? Crete 137  destruction—their fleet, their army—there was nothing that was not destroyed, and few out of many returned home.” Somehow, a terribly weakened Athens fended off Spartan attacks for another nine years. Finally, in 404 B.C., the Athenians and their allies surrendered. Athens had lost its empire, power, and wealth. Philosophers Search for Truth After the war, many Athenians lost confidence in democratic government and began to question their values. In this time of uncertainty, several great thinkers appeared. They were determined to seek the truth, no matter where the search led them. The Greeks called such thinkers philosophers, meaning “lovers of wisdom.” These Greek thinkers based their philosophy on the following two assumptions: The universe (land, sky, and sea) is put together in an orderly way, and subject to absolute and unchanging laws. People can understand these laws through logic and reason. One group of philosophers, the Sophists, questioned people’s unexamined beliefs and ideas about justice and other traditional values. One of the most famous Sophists was Protagoras, who questioned the existence of the traditional Greek gods. He also argued that there was no universal standard of truth, saying “Man Making [the individual] is the measure of all things.” These were radical and dangerous Inferences ideas to many Athenians. Why would philosophers start Socrates One critic of the Sophists was Socrates (SAHK ruh TEEZ). Unlike the questioning tradi- Sophists, he believed that absolute standards did exist for truth and justice. However, tional beliefs at this he encouraged Greeks to go farther and question themselves and their moral charac- particular time in ter. Historians believe that it was Socrates who once said, “The unexamined life is not Athenian history? worth living.” Socrates was admired by many who understood his ideas. However, others were puzzled by this man’s viewpoints. In 399 B.C., when Socrates was about 70 years old, he was brought to trial for “corrupting the youth of Athens” and “neglecting the city’s gods.” In his own ▼ Surrounded by defense, Socrates said that his teachings were good for Athens because they forced supporters, Socrates prepares people to think about their values and actions. The jury disagreed and condemned to drink poison. him to death. He died by drinking hemlock, a slow-acting poison. Plato A student of Socrates, Plato (PLAY toh), was in his late 20s when his teacher died. Later, Plato wrote down the conversations of Socrates “as a means of philosophi- cal investigation.” Sometime in the 370s B.C., Plato wrote his most famous work, The Republic. In it, he set forth his vision of a perfectly governed society. It was not a democracy. In his ideal society, all citizens would fall naturally into three groups: farmers and artisans, warriors, and the ruling class. The person with the greatest insight and intellect from the ruling class would be chosen philosopher-king. Plato’s writings dominated philosophic thought in Europe for nearly 1,500 138 Chapter 5  Socrates Plato Aristotle 470–399 B.C. 427–347 B.C. 384–322 B.C. Socrates Born into a Aristotle, the son encouraged his wealthy Athenian of a physician, students to family, Plato had was one of the examine their careers as a brightest students beliefs. He asked wrestler and at Plato’s them a series of a poet before he Academy. He leading became a came there as a questions to show that people hold philosopher. After Socrates, his teacher, young man and stayed for 20 years until many contradictory opinions. This died, Plato left Greece. He later returned Plato’s death. In 335 B.C., Aristotle opened question-and-answer approach to to Athens and founded a school called his own school in Athens called the teaching is known as the Socratic the Academy in 387 B.C. The school Lyceum. The school eventually rivaled the method. Socrates devoted his life to lasted for approximately 900 years. It Academy. Aristotle once argued, “He who gaining self-knowledge and once said, was Plato who once stated, “Philosophy studies how things originated... will “There is only one good, knowledge, begins in wonder.” achieve the clearest view of them.” and one evil, ignorance.” years. His only rivals in importance were his teacher, Socrates, and his own pupil, Aristotle (AR ih STAHT uhl). Aristotle The philosopher Aristotle questioned the nature of the world and of human belief, thought, and knowledge. Aristotle came close to summarizing all the knowledge up to his time. He invented a method for arguing according to rules of logic. He later applied his method to problems in the fields of psychology, physics, and biology. His work provides the basis of the scientific method used today. One of Aristotle’s most famous pupils was Alexander, son of King Philip II of Macedonia. Around 343 B.C., Aristotle accepted the king’s invitation to tutor the 13-year-old prince. Alexander’s status as a student abruptly ended three years later, when his father called him back to Macedonia. You will learn more about Alexander in Section 4. SECTION 3 ASSESSMENT TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance. direct democracy classical art tragedy comedy Peloponnesian War philosopher Socrates Plato Aristotle USING YOUR NOTES MAIN IDEAS CRITICAL THINKING & WRITING 2. Which of Pericles’ goals do 3. What steps did Pericles take to 6. MAKING INFERENCES How does the concept of hubris you think had the greatest strengthen democracy in from Greek tragedy apply to the Peloponnesian War? impact on the modern Athens? 7. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS Was the rule of Pericles a world? Explain your choice. 4. What were the battle strategies “golden age” for Athens? Explain. of Athens and Sparta in the 8. FORMING AND SUPPORTING OPINIONS Do you agree Peloponnesian War? with Socrates that there are absolute standards for truth Pericles' Goals 5. Why do you think some and justice? Why or why not? Athenians found the ideas of 9. WRITING ACTIVITY POWER AND AUTHORITY Write a Socrates so disturbing? two- or three-paragraph essay comparing the system of direct democracy adopted by Athens and the system of government Plato described in The Republic. CONNECT TO TODAY CREATING AN ILLUSTRATED REPORT One of Pericles’ goals was to create magnificent sculptures and buildings to glorify Athens. Identify local buildings or works of art that were created to honor your community, state, or the United States. Write a brief illustrated report on these buildings. Classical Greece 139