Oligarchy, Democracy, and Monarchy Flashcards
At what point in Hdt does the constitutional debate occur?
3.80-82
Who are the speakers in Hdt’s constitutional debate and what do they each support and why?
Otanes, democracy, men are less likely to fall to vices if held accountable and ‘the people’ essentially equates to the state
Megabyzus, oligarchy, masses are not to be trusted with their ignorance and irresponsibility; the ‘best men’ have better education and qualities suited to government
Darius, monarchy, having a good man in government is the ultimate form which failures in the others often lead to.
What does Simonton argue about the emergence of oligarchy? (2)
it was contemporary to the emergence of democracy
it developed as a counteraction to democracy
What is the Old Oligarch’s praise for democracy in respect to what he understands its aims to be?
Main aim: preserve its constitutional form
Praise: they effectively achieve this
What is the fundamental indication that a state is oligarchic?
property requirement for political engagement (usually membership in assembly)
What conflict runs through the Old Oligarch and Thucydides?
natural social tension between the masses, who support democracy, and the wealthy, who are more oligarchic
What is an economic reason naval power was equated with democracy in the ancient world?
it was cheaper on an individual level to be an oarsman than a hoplite
Why does the Old Oligarch fundamentally oppose the system of democracy?
refence?
it places ‘worthless’ men, who are ignorant and undisciplined, in power over their valuable peers
1.1, 1.5
What is the general content of chapters 1 and 2 of Old Oligarch?
Imagined criticisms of democracy with the explanation repeatedly being that they are deliberate as they ensure the maintenance of the demos’ power
What is the content of chapter 3 of Old Oligarch?
how administration and public business is done very slowly in Athens
When was the oligarchic Revolution of the Four Hundred? In what context was it est?
- Post-failure at Sicily when morale was very low and a change was perceived as needed
How was the government formed from the council of 400?
a group of 100 from the larger pool of 400 would be selected by lot to govern for one year
What reason does Aristotle give for the demos supporting the council of 400 oligarchy? Thucydides?
believed it would win them valuable support from Persia (Ath Pol.29)
need for discipline in a time of uncertainty (8.1)
When did The Thirty come to power? In what context?
405
The loss of Aegospotami and victory of Sparta over Athens, then Lysander coming to the city and installing the new oligarchic regime
Under what pretence did the Thirty act on once they were in power?
restoring the ancestral Athenian constitution
What does Aristotle refer to as the popularity turning point in the early phase of the Thirty?
mass executions of any who could threaten their power
How did the Thirty regime come to an end?
Overwhelmed by pro-democracy rebels led by Thrasybulus (ath pol 37-8)
What replaced the Thirty regime?
democracy headed by a council of 10 elected men with the enactment of the constitution happening in 403
In what context did the Four Hundred fall? What replaced it?
Failures at Eretria and revolt of Euboea
Council of 5000 that required military equipment to be owned by the members and offered no salary
What and when were the main reforms of Solon? Their significance?
c594 BCE
Properties for magistrate offices was based on wealth, replacing a birth system - dissolved the disparity between new money indivs and birth elites.
Athenian debts and those in debt-bondage were forgiven - contrib to the idea of Athenian identity that differentiated lower class poor Athenians from slaves w their pol status.
established Council of 400 that chose the agenda for assembly
What appears to have been the intentions behind Solon’s reforms?
Ease social tension by loosening birth ties and privileges in upper classes AND strengthening rights among the lower classes
What was the effect of the Pisistratid regime on the role of the elites in Athens?
reduced the awe the masses had for them in power with one individual serving them better than the elites ever had
What does Eder say crucially formed in Ath politics after Pisistratid regime?
‘civilian self-conciousness’
What and when occurred prior to Cleisthenes getting into power?
510-508
Civil war as a result of aristocratic competition
What was the fundamental reform Cleisthenes introduced? (3) Significance?
Introduced the demotic system which contributed to the definition of citizenship and unity of the masses.
Demotic councils then contributed to new council of 500.
Institution of ostracism.
Asserted the idea of collective responsibility and Athenian identity on multiple levels, providing important political foundations for the next century.
What changes did NOT necessarily occur under Cleisthenes?
Open debate
Abolish property qualifications for magistracies
Brought pay for government service
What were the major ‘post-Cleisthenes’ reforms? Significance?
487 Selection by lot of archons and other magistracies.
462 Reforms that restricted the powers of the Areopagus meaning they could no longer halt decisions of the masses.
post-462 Intro/Greater emphasis on isegoria - the right for all citizens to speak in the Assembly which meant such greater engagement by the masses.
457/6 all offices no longer had property qualifications then government pay was introduced so working classes could afford to take on pol leadership.
451/0 new rules for citizenship based on the mother being an Athenian citizen.
440s state pay introduced for jurors, changing the way in which any individual was tried.
Last remains of elite monopoly of politics were lost and collective power of the masses was solidified.
What intellectual theme in Thuc would likely have influenced his view on oligarchic revolutions?
stasis and its sheer negative impact, it was the greatest of evils
What does Thuc say the 400 did once they sensed their popularity had declined? What does this indicate about the cause of the fall of oligarchies?
properly set up the 5000, having not done so due to their promotion by private ambition
self-interest was the destruction of oligarchies, especially emerging from a democracy
What does Thuc suggest happens to rationality as a result of stasis? Significance?
rationality degenerates, emotion and ambition takes over
he himself loses a degree of rationality on the oligarchic coups
How do oligarchs succeed in their power seeking acc to Thuc?
promote the community and polis in word (and word only)
Why does Thuc appear to oppose the 411 oligarchy?
rejection of values and descent into disorder as to morals and political alliances; tyranny - like his disapproval of demagogues
Which oligarch was treacherous in contacting Antyochos (sp admiral)? What appears to have been his motive?
Phrynichus
preoccupied by self-interest and protecting his own position, esp in opposition to Alcibiades
What are the characteristics of the Ath oligarchs in 411?
immoral
no real patriotism
Who does Thuc place at the forefront of the 400 revolution? Signif?
Antiphon, attic orator.
Thuc was v praising of his intelligence and virtue.
For his involvement in olig coup, he was executed.
What does Antiphon outline as reasons some may support constitutional change?
individuals who had behaved dubiously in office under democ; they felt or had been hard done by current govt (disenfranchisement); risk of punishment under current govt; property could be restored under a new authority
i.e. wrongs done under current govt could be ignored/reversed and/or benefits could be reaped from a new govt
What does Antiphon say on the role of oratory in democ vs olig?
It has no/little role in oligarchy but in democracy, it is v important, enabling him to be a ‘man who is all-powerful’
What were the key areas in which slaves are known to have been exploited the most in classical athens?
craftsmanship
mining
What was the economic justification for slave labour in classical Athens?
-using slaves was beneficial for revenue as they would earn back their initial price within c4-5 years
-in craft production, every day counted so using a slave meant the citizen owner could have leisure time (e.g. attending festivals) or engage in politics
-profits from low skilled labour was not good enough to fund dependants, of which citizens would have had but slaves would not have
What reasons does Xenophon give for avoidance of labour by citizens?
The work slaves did was disfiguring and damaging for the body.
One’s soul looses strength.
Time to contribute to relationships and civic life is severely limited.
How does Osborne explain Aristotle’s assertion that ‘the best city will not make labourers citizens’?
labourers were by vast majority slaves; this element of the population had to be excluded from citizenship in order for democracy to continue without contradicting itself to destruction - ‘citizens’ had to be, at least theoretically, equal and thus the jobs of service, in which a person was working FOR another had to be done by non-citizens
What does the slapstick violence against slaves theme in Old Comedy show abt the attitude to slaves and comparison to citizens?
slaves’ bodies were not inviolable but rather used as a mechanism to maintain their subservience; citizens could keep their bodies safe
What does Finley argue w respect to democracy and slavery? Justification? Pros and cons of this argument?
They grew in symbiotic relationship.
Slavery enabled the citizen man leisure time in order to engage politically.
Pros: slaves enabled the ‘fiction of citizen equality’ (Osb) to be maintained especially in the political sense of citizens being superior and thus not deserving of working under the command of another.
Cons: agricultural work, base of citizen economy, was not consuming all year round and afforded those involved decent periods of free time THUS no need for slaves
How does Osbourne summarise the relationship between Ath democ and slavery?
‘It was not democracy as such which slavery
enabled in Athens, but a particular conception of the citizen body as made up of an
essentially homogeneous body of men, none of whom were subject to constraints
imposed by other individuals.’
What particular set of circumstances does Osborne refer to as being almost inevitably causal to slavery?
certain conception of citizenship, to some extent informed by prejudice
+
economic units larger than a household
For how long did the institution of ostracism last? What was an alternative?
first use = 487; last use = 416
BUT the practice had gone out of use with penultimate being in 440
Exile was used extensively - difference was that you get removed from city indefinitely AND property was taken away
Context of Oath of Amnesty?
404/3: after all the oligarchic regimes, Pausanias had come in and forced parties involved in stasis to comromise and come to an agreement of amnesty
Key points in Oath of Amnesty from Ath Pol?
-‘those who wished to emigrate should occupy
Eleusis, retaining their civic rights, with power and authority over their own property and receiving their revenue’; this group became dominated by the 30
-these migrants were not permitted to hold offices in athens whilst they resided there
-any trials for homicide would be done in usual process
-exclusion clause ‘nobody should
be permitted to recall wrongs against anybody, except against the Thirty, the Ten, the Eleven and the men who had ruled the Piraeus, and not even against these if they submitted euthynai’
What was the tool of euthunai used against previous oligarchs in amnestry treaty? unususal abt the process in this context?
the audit of office that occured at the end of the term of office for any magistrate in athens
usually, the results were heard by a jury of any ath citizen BUT in this case - the governors of Periaeus were to be heard only by those living there, and those in main city should be heard by those living there who met a certain property requirement
What does the use of euthunai in oath of amnesty represent? Tweeks made to its application?
attempt of the demos to impose accountability upon those who had ruined their constitution - culture of ‘accountability mentality’ v much present in democratic athens
suitability of this process to oligarvhiv gvt
Which oligarchs appear to have gone through process of euthunai? Signif?
The Ten.
They were praised for this, being represented as respectful democratic citizens - almost a process of repentance? ESPECIALLY pertinent since the 30, many of whom at Eleusis, essentially got out of it and thus out of a punishment - underlying feeling of needing someone/thing to blame
What are the problems around the purpose of 30 in restoring ancestral constitution?
accounts of assembly meeting in which this responsibility would have been bestowed vary
IF they did pursue with this purpose, was it genuine or rhetorical
Who were the eleven?
councillors/officials who essentailly functioned as 30’s puppets
Ath Pol has them as prison guards
What ‘unconsititutional’ things happened under the thirty?
juries no longer applied fully
trials not offered fairly
regime of violence and executions of those who may pose a threat
Who were the Peiraeus Ten?
governors who had been put in charge of the Piraeus by the 30
Who were the Ten?
successors of the 30
only shortlived as the exiles, led by Thrasybulus, were a continued major threat so Spartans brought in to defeat them after which, Pausanius brought oath of amnesty
How does Thuc present the oligarchic coups? Ath Pol?
Violent and self-interested.
Considered attempt to reform constitution.
How should the patrios politeia be understood as part of the rise of Ath oligarchy?
an appropriation of Ath political past in order to justify oligarchic changes
What piece of evidence does Shear use to understand the signif of ‘patrios politeia’ w respect to 411 oligarchies? info?
frag of a speech by Thrasymachos
indicates the political past was a matter of fierce debate and opinion amongst the Ath citizens as a matter related to discussions of what should be happening in the PRESENT
What two benefits did using the patrios politeia idea have for the oligarchies?
provided legitimacy
prevented opponents from using it
What buildings is the 400 associated with numerous times? Pol signif?
Bouleterion
acted as the biule and thus connected their regime to a cleisthenic/solonian constitution
What position was Mnasilochos elected to be the 400 in 411? Pol signif?
eonymous archon
creating a legacy (oligs hoping year would be known under his name) and connecting their regime with old constitution
What is the idea of constitutional continutity/change derived from Ath treasury epigraphy?
constinuity with the documents being inscribed as ever and undergoing the usual processes
How does Shear expl Thuc’s ommission of the importance of the patrios politeia in environment of 411?
he adhered to the oligarchs’ trials’ line of good vs bad factions in the oligarchy that meant there was a focus on individuals rather than the causes or wider debates around that type of gvt
In the trials of oligarchs post-411, how did oligarchs defend themselves?
represent their role as men of trhe people and separate from the pure, more violent/steadfast olicharchs
Why did Thuc emphasise the violence of the oligarchic regime?
as part of his anti-stasis theme - no regime was good enough to overcome the negative influence of stasis
What benefits were derived from the specifically VAGUE nature of the patrios politeia idea?
it could be moulded by various politicians to suit their cause
What theme does Thuc explore in his coverage of the upheavel of the Ath oligarchies?
politics of space - the upper city and peiraeus being contested and this being a key factor in the regime’s downfall
What does Thuc say on slavery?
refers to 20,000 (massive number) fleeing when Sparta est garrison at decelaea
refers to them as ‘skilled workmen’
likely undertaking agricultural duties at this point
Who was Pericles slave recorded in Plutarch? Exceptional characteristics?
Evangelos, domestic manager in charge of finances for one
-named
-clearly in a role of responsibility
-intelligence and education
Epigraphic evidence for slavery? Signif?
Erechtheion building records c408 identifies 20 slaves of the 80 workmen still identifiable
What is role of enslaved female chorus in Aeschylus’ libation bearers?
support the oikos of Electra by remaining loyal to her in their hatred of Clytementra and Aigisthus
What info can be gained from study of treatment of Xanthias and Sosias (slaves) in aristophanes’ knights?
tehy were physically abused on and off stage for amusement of audience suggesting disregard for slave bodies and inherent brutality of the institution despite its preeminence
