Why Athens was called a democracy?

Athens was called a democracy because every citizen could take part in the city’s government. Laws had to be approved by the assembly. Every citizen was part of the assembly, which debated and voted on all laws.

Why was democracy important in ancient Greece?

Athenian democracy depended on every citizen fulfilling his role. All citizens were expected to vote, but they were also expected to serve in the government if necessary. In Athens, the people governed, and the majority ruled. All citizens had equal rights and powers.

Was ancient Athens truly democratic?

Greek democracy created at Athens was direct, rather than representative: any adult male citizen over the age of 20 could take part, and it was a duty to do so. The officials of the democracy were in part elected by the Assembly and in large part chosen by lottery in a process called sortition.

Why was democracy so important to Athens?

In Athenian democracy, not only did citizens participate in a direct democracy whereby they themselves made the decisions by which they lived, but they also actively served in the institutions that governed them, and so they directly controlled all parts of the political process.

How did ancient Greece democracy work?

Democracy in Ancient Greece was very direct. What this means is that all the citizens voted on all the laws. Rather than vote for representatives, like we do, each citizen was expected to vote for every law. They did have officials to run the government, however.

What was one way Athens was more democratic than Sparta?

Clas- sical Athens was more democratic than classical Sparta because in Athens, native-born males generally had equal political rights—to vote, to sit on the popular assembly, to hold public office—and final decisions were made by the broadly representative popular assembly.

Could Athens be considered a true democracy?

Athens was not a true democracy, though, as only males who had been born in Athens and who owned property could vote and participate in government. These people were known as citizens. Women, slaves, and foreigners were not considered citizens and could not take part in government.

Was Sparta a democracy?

The most prominent Greek oligarchy, and the state with which democratic Athens is most often and most fruitfully compared, was Sparta. Yet Sparta, in its rejection of private wealth as a primary social differentiator, was a peculiar kind of oligarchy and some scholars note its resemblance to democracy.

Did ancient Greece practice true democracy Why or why not?

Democracy in ancient Greece was a direct democracy In fact, our modern democratic systems would be considered by Ancient Greeks as oligarchy, meaning, ruled by the few, as opposed to true democracy, which means “power, control by the people,” or the many.

How does democracy in ancient Athens compare to democracy in the United States today?

They both allow men to vote. One difference is that US has a representative democracy and Athens has a direct democracy. In Athens only men that owned property are allowed to vote. In the US any citizen over the age of 18 can vote.