Sparta and Athens

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Sparta and Athens
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Tyranny in the City States

• Nobles, who owned large farms, seized power from
  the Greek kings.
• Farmers had to borrow money from nobles and often
  could not pay back the debt.
• These farmers lost their land
• had to work for the nobles or were sold into
  slavery.

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Tyranny in the City States

• Unhappy farmers demanded changes in the power
  structure of the city-states.
• This unhappiness led to the rise of tyrants
• people who take power by force and rule with
  total authority

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Tyranny in the City States

• Tyrants overthrew the nobles during the 600s B.C.
• maintained their popularity by building
  marketplaces, temples, and walls
• brought security and prosperity to the city
  states.

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Tyranny in the City States

• The Greek people eventually got tired of the
  tyrants and created either oligarchies or
  democracies

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Oligarchy

• An oligarchy is a form of government in which a
  few people hold power
• Sparta was an oligarchy

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Democracy

• A democracy is a form of government in which all
  citizens share power.
• Athens was a democracy

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Sparta

• To obtain more land, Spartans conquered and
  enslaved their neighbors, calling them helots.
• to keep the helots from rebelling, the Spartans
  created a strong military of boys and men.

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Sparta

• Boys entered the military at age seven.
• At age 20, men entered the regular army and lived
  in the barracks for 10 years.
• They returned home at age 30 but served in the
  army until age 60.

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Sparta

• Spartan girls were trained in sports to become
  healthy mothers
• freer than other Greek women.

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What was Spartan Government Like?

• The Spartan government was an oligarchy
  containing two branches
• a council of elders
• an assembly.

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What was Spartan Government Like?

• The Spartan government kept foreign travelers out
• Also discouraged citizens from traveling
• All in order to maintain control of the country.

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Athens

• Boys in Athens attended school to learn reading,
  writing, and arithmetic.
• Athenian girls learned household duties from
  their mothers.
• Some wealthy girls learned reading, writing, and
  playing the lyre.

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A Budding Democracy

• The government of early Athens was an oligarchy.
• A noble named Solon reformed the Athenian
  government in 594 B.C.

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A Budding Democracy

• The tyrant Peisistratus seized power 30 years
  after Solons reforms

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A Budding Democracy

• Cleisthenes took power in 508 B.C.
• He created a democracy in Athens

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A Budding Democracy

• Cleisthenes gave the assembly more power.
• also created a new council to help the assembly
  carry out its duties.
• Members of the council were chosen by lottery.