Dionysius Is A Tyrant

I will now briefly discuss Dionysius I, a tyrant of Syraceus during the classical period of Greek history. Aristotle, in his work Politics, wrote, ‘a tyrant is set up from among the people and the multitude to oppose the notables, in order that the people may suffer no injustice from them’ . As before with the Cypselid dynasty, we see Dionysius I come to power with the aid of the military and the demos. However despite their origins we once again during Dionysius reign see the steady decline of populous support. Dionysius I was an aristocrat and held a clerical position within the political system of Syraceus until he was elected as a general in 405B.C. Once again we see a tyrant using social unrest to gain access to power. During the Peloponnesian