Greece: 300 separate city states
each was known as a polis (from which we take our word politics)
Each city had its own laws and its own government
4th century BC: Aristoteles: 3 types of government
1. power ruled by one person: - king (ruled on account of his royal birth)
- tyrant (who ruled by force)
2. ruled by the aristocracy (governing by right of noble birth)
obligarching (a ruling group of rich and powerful men)
3. democratic government (ruled by the many) – male citizens had the right to vote, hold public office, serve on a jury
(only in Athens)
Even there women, slave and foreigners were not counted as full citizens.
- obligarchy: a small group of people who ruled a city state
- metics: foreign residents
Greek society was divided by a strict social structure, enforced by its governments. Most city states were ruled by a small group of people (obligarchy). Two exceptions to this rule were the powerful cities of Sparta and Athens. Sparta held on to its monarchy, while Athens introduced the first democratic government in history. Moreover, the city of Athens, all citizens could vote and hold office. However, to be a citizen, it was necessary to be an adult male, born in the city itself. Even so-called democratic Athens was ruled by a minority of the people who lived there. The treatment of women, foreign residents (called metics), slaves and children was just the same as in other city states. Women had no legal rights and rarely took part in public live. Metics were obliged to pay extra taxes and serve in the military. They couldn’t own land or marry an Athenians. The Athenians felt uneasy about the large number of metics living in their city, but their skills helped to make it rich. Slave made up half the population of Athens. Most had either been born slaves or became slaves as prisoners of war of captives of pirates. Even native Greeks could became slaves by falling into debt, but they were freed once the debt was paid off.