Government

Government


 * In 508 B.C, a Greek statesman named Cleisthenes implemented reforms that let to the beginning of democracy in Athens.


 * Democracy remained in Athens from 508 to 332 B.C. During this period, it was called a "radical" or direct democracy.


 * The word democracy came from the Greek words //demos// and kratos. //Demos// meant the people, and //kratos// meant power. The people of Athens used the word //demokratia// to explain what type of government they had.


 * The democracy in Athens was strict; the only people that can vote in the government were male citizens 18 and above, and they can be citizens only if both parents were citizens. Women, slaves and strangers were not allowed to participate in the government.


 * The government started to fall apart after the First Battle of Chaeronea, where the armies of Athens and Thebes were crushed by the Macedonian army of Philip the Second, under the command of Alexander the Great.


 * Macedonia took over Athens and forced them under their rule, resulting into the end of the direct democracy in Athens.

Citation


 * ("Athenian democracy." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras//.ABC-CLIO, 2011.)