Government
MONarchy
Definition: A form of government where one person holds the power and usually ruled by kings
The word, "monarchy," comes from monos (meaning single) and arkhein (meaning rule)
The monarchy form of government was around in ancient Greece from roughly 2000-1100 BCE. The ruler of the monarchy which was usually a king would live in a place in the capitol city. Beyond this central city there was a vast network of villages the king also ruled. These villages would be required to pay the king taxes. If they didn't the king had armed soldiers to enforce his law. The king held his position to the end of his life and his oldest son the prince would be the heir to the throne. In the rare occurrence there was no prince the kings military advisers would compete to become the new monarch..
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The ultimate decline of this form of government was around 1200 BCE. This happened as their trade routes were getting cut off and they could no longer get raw meat. They also lost their ability to make good weapons and conquer land. With that the Mycenaean's began to fight among themselves for survival a , "Civil War" if you will. Then the Dorian's invaded Greece and destroyed the monarchy replacing it with their oligarchy.
Oligarchy
Definition: A form of government where only a few people hold the power
The word, "oligarchy," comes from oligos (meaning few) and arkhein (meaning rule).
The Oligarchy government lasted from 1100-800 BCE. Firstly the power was shared among aristocrats alike. Over time it changed to not a multitude of individuals but only a very select few who were rich and wealthy. Some of these members were of aristocratic birth while others were rich people from the middle class. They to lived luxuriously lives like the monarchs and also used soldiers to enforce their rule. Citizens of an Oligarchy had certain protections but little to no say in the government. There for the Oligarchy ran how the entire city state ran.
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The downfall of this is for various reasons. First the people of Corinth overthrew their Oligarchy. Next In Athens dissatisfaction aroused about the Oligarchy style of government as the population grew and so did the number of food shortages. People also began to hire mercenary's to create army's to intimidate the Oligarchy's. By 400 BCE there was only one Greek city-state under Oligarchy rule.
Tyranny
Definition: A form of government where all the power is in the hands of an individual who has sized control.
The word, "tyranny," comes from tyrannos (meaning usurper with supreme power) .
Tyranny's in Greece first came around 600 BCE. The newly growing middle class and merchants became angry with their rulers. The middle class wanted political and social rights to accommodate for their new found wealth. Some individuals through out the community saw to their please and promised to make change to their wants. Backed by the people the tyrant took over into power as the ruler. Once in power Tyrants changed laws, gave to the poor and even canceled debts giving some citizens other than nobles a say in government.
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The tyrants didn't stay in power long though. In some states Tyrants became greedy and harsh and were therefore overthrown by the people. In 510 BCE the last Tyrant was removed by efforts from Sparta and Athens who forced the Hippias to leave Greece. This form of government was quickly replaced with democracy.
Democracy
Definition: A form of government that's run by the people for the people
The word, "democracy," comes from demos (meaning people), andkratos (meaning power)
The first democracy's showed up around 500 BCE in Athens. The main governing body was the Citizens Assembly. It was open to all 30,000 to 40,000 adult males but there was only about 5,000 that actually came both rich and poor. They met 40 times a year to discuss politics and such on how to properly rule Athens. Members of the Assembly also held voting to come to decisions. There was a smaller important body called the council of 500. The council ran the day to day problems in the state. The body members were chosen at random through a lottery.
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This form of government never really come to an end until Greece's end I guess and it was such a good idea we still use it today. A important fact is that its public officials didn't have a lot of power like our president has today. In fact there wasn't even a president in Athens. In wartime though 10 generals were elected to make decisions on military matters.