Comparing Sparta And Athenian Democracy

Athens and Sparta were the two great powers of the ancient Greek world. They arose from the same culture and shared many of the same institutions and beliefs. However, there were vast differences in the political structures of these two city-states. Athens would become the first democracy that humans would create, while Sparta would sacrifice stature and power to maintain the restrictive government and institutional forms needed to prop up their warrior culture.

Athenian citizens were counted as all free, native-born males over the age of 20. Women, foreigners, and slaves were excluded from political power and input. The main body of Athenian government was the Assembly, which consisted of all of the citizens of Athens. The Assembly would elect 500 councilors each year to the Boule, or legislative council. Each of the ten tribes would contribute 50 councilors. The Boule would set the legislative agenda and draft laws for the Assembly to vote on. In addition to serving in the Assembly and possibly being elected to the Boule, Athenian citizens could serve as jurors on court cases or as public officers. All of these options combined to provide numerous opportunities for Athenian citizens to serve their city-state, although the reality was less than ideal - public officers were required to own a level of wealth
It can be difficult to understand these opinions based on our modern viewpoints on democracy and authoritarian military states of the Spartan model. We would do well to remember that the birth of an idea is always a troubling time for those who live through