![]() Footnote 3 By the 450s the people had consolidated their dēmokratia (‘democracy’) by making decisions on an increasing range of public affairs and by completely taking over the law courts and the annual review of magistrates. Footnote 2 This popular demand was quickly realized by the reforms of Cleisthenes, which made the assembly and a new popular council the final arbiters of public actions and laws. Footnote 1 They had had enough of the bloody struggles of their elite and demanded an active role in the decision-making of their state. ![]() In 508 bc the Athenian dēmos (‘people’) rose up against a leader aiming for tyranny and expelled him and the foreign troops backing his attempt. Consequently ancient history can provide political science with new lines of enquiry into how democracy affects international relations today.Īncient Athens is famous for its direct democracy and for its cultural revolution that helped to lay foundations for the literatures and the arts of the ancient and modern worlds. At present they cannot satisfactorily explain the war-making of modern democracies. Political scientists have long viewed Athenian democracy as a source of fresh ideas. It also made military reforms easier and developed the initiative of the state's generals, hoplites, and sailors. All this was offset by Athenian democracy's rigorous debating of war, which reduced the risks of Athenian cultural militarism. The competition of elite performers before non-elite adjudicators resulted in a pro-war culture, which encouraged Athenians in increasing numbers to join the armed forces and to vote for war. The military impact of Athenian democracy was twofold. There is a strong case that democracy was a major reason for this success. Athens transformed ancient warfare and became one of the ancient world's superpowers. What is less well known is its extraordinary record of military success. This state is rightly revered for its political and cultural achievements. It was the leading cultural innovator of its age. Ancient Athens developed democracy to a higher level than any other state before modern times.
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