Athens Vs. Sparta Essays - Sparta, Ancient Greek Law, Greek People

Athens Vs. Sparta During the times of Ancient Greece, two major forms of government existed, democracy and oligarchy. The city-states of Athens and Sparta are the best representatives of democracy and oligarchy, respectively. The focus of the times was directed towards military capabilities, while the Athenians were more interested in comfort and culture. It was the oligarchy in Sparta that put a war-like attitude as its first priority and best met the needs of Ancient Greece. These factors empowered Sparta and led to the development of an authoritative and potent state. Other contrasting issues included womens rights, social classes, and value of human life. Four rulers, Draco, Solon, Pisistratus, and Cleithenes, greatly influenced the political development of Athens. However, Athenian democracy cannot really be called a true democracy since there were several flaws in the government and the way in which it functioned. Upper class male citizens over the age of thirty were the only Athenians who held any right to vote. The democracy in Athens consisted of an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. Together, nine anchors, a Council of five hundred, an Assembly, and a court chosen by lot governed the city-state with limited power. The Assembly was made up of five hundred men who were chosen from a list of those who were eligible to serve on the council. All branches of the government were capable of vetoing one another. It was also customary to expel from the country any speaker who became too powerful. This rule could easily be abused and often infringed on the freedom of speech that most democracies have. However, as stated in the At henian Constitution, male citizens were equal and the governments focus was on the individual rather than the state as a whole. This form of government could have run smoothly if it had not existed in a time led my military empires. The government in Sparta followed a very different coarse than that of the Athenians. It was controlled by an oligarchy in which the power was held by a group of five men called ephors. Working below the ephors was the Council of Elders and an Assembly. Male citizens over age sixty could serve on the Council while anyone, male or female, over the age of twenty could be a member of the Assembly. Though the citizens had little say in the decisions made by the government, the system worked effectively. Over the years, the Spartan's brutal reputation in war grew so great that other nations and city-states were too frightened to attack Sparta even though the Spartan army was no larger then eight thousand men. The Spartan Constitution called for all men to begin their military education at the age of seven, where they were trained to be tough and self-sufficient. Every man in the army fought with a great deal of passion for his country. Life in Sparta may have been rough, but the rest of t he Greeks envied the Spartans for their simplicity, straight forwardness, and fanatical dedication. The beliefs of Sparta were oriented around the state. The individual lived and died for the state. The combination of this philosophy, the education of Spartan males, and the discipline of their army gave the Spartans the stability needed to survive in Ancient Greece. The Athenian economy depended on foreign trade and travel. Because of Athens location on the Aegean Sea, sailing increased trade and placed Athenian ships everywhere from the Black Sea to Spain. While trade was a necessity in Athens, there was a law in Sparta that banned all foreign trade and foreign traveling. This kept out foreign ideas and allowed an element of surprise when it came to attacks. However, this law did not affect their economy, which was already self-sufficient. Social classes in Athens and Sparta were structured in basically the same way, with an upper class, a lower class consisting of slaves, and a buffer class in the middle. In Athens, citizens held the highest rank, and males were privileged with voting rights while women holding citizenship were still regarded as minors. The non-Athenians, or metics, worked as merchants or artisans. Though they paid the same taxes as citizens, metics could never own land or participate in government. Lastly