How Did Athens And Sparta Influence Greek Politics

Ancient Greece was made up of several hundred poleis, or "city states," during the archaic and classical periods (c. 800-323 BCE). Every polis acts as a tiny independent country. Many of these amounted to little more than villages or tiny towns that occasionally ruled extremely tiny areas. The two biggest, strongest, and ultimately most significant Greek city states were Sparta and Athens, which were at the other end of this scale. When it comes to politics, they could not be more dissimilar. In the Peloponnesus peninsula of southern Greece, the vast and rich plain of Laconia was home to ancient Sparta. Athens, along with the Attica region it surrounds, is a major hub of both culture and commerce. Many essential elements of Western civilization, such as theater and ethical philosophy, originated in Athens (Brand,
In Athens the people who lived there were divided into three classes: citizens, metics, and salves. Decisions affecting daily living could only be made by citizens who were eligible for democracy, who were male above 18 years. This meant that women, foreigners, and slaves were prohibited from engaging in political activity. Elected representatives occupied the public office. The 500 individuals that made up the Council of Five Hundred, who represented the 10 Attican tribes (50 members each), held legislative authority while the Archons held executive authority. Sortition was used to choose those holding public office. To ensure a varied selection of candidates, there was some sort of lottery involved. In Sparta, male citizens who were at least 30 years old and had served in the military were the only ones allowed to vote in public and make decisions that would have an impact on the community. Foreigners, women, and slaves were not allowed to hold public office. An oligarchy, or small group of people holding power, typified the Spartan