Democracy
What is a Democracy?
A democracy is a type of government in which all citizens share power. In Ancient Greece, the city-states had what is called a direct democracy. In a direct democracy, each citizen votes on every issue.
How did direct democracy work?
In Ancient Greece, each city had an assembly. The assembly was a group anyone could join which allowed citizens to speak their opinions and manage the city.
An Athenian leader speaks to the assembly
Are there other types of democracy?
Yes. A perfect example of another type of democracy is today in the United States. Here, government works through a representative democracy. In a representative democracy, citizens vote for an individual they think will make the best decisions.
What was a problem with democracy in Ancient Greece?
Many city-states struggled with democracy because citizens would be convinced to vote unwisely by a persuasive speaker. The assembly also changed their minds often about issues, making it difficult for solutions to be carried out.
This ancient pottery shows the story of several citizens in the process of voting
