To provide education and encouragement to help the idea of Democracy be alive, vibrant, relevant, and valued.
Please note - the posts are listed with the most recent first. If you want to start at the beginning of a numbered Series scroll down to find it.
After the alliance with Sparta, initial military action was inclusive and sporadic. Athens began to move to re-establish its empire with limited success. Then, after some success by both sides, a crucial battle took place.
Read MoreAs discussed in The appearance and construction of Democracy - childhood to maturity in Greece, Part 11, Athens was considerably weakened militarily due to the alliance between Sparta and the Persian empire.
Read MoreWhile the long saga of dealing with hubris and the focus on seeking power and wealth demonstrates the allure of these dynamics, at long last (in part due to exhaustion?) Athens showed that it could lessen the influence of these cancers.
Read MoreThe movement to a new version of democracy was based on a partnership between the political clubs and some intellectually sophisticated aristocrats. The clubs provided the terror tactics to crush opposition and the aristocrats developed a new constitution.
Read MoreWithout question, the period of 460 - 430, discussed in the prior three Posts, were one of most important and influential periods in European history. Democracy had come of age, a powerful empire was created, and there was a golden age of cultural development and transformation. However, trouble had continued to brew….
Read MoreAt first glance, the attitude of the Athenians to either rule or be ruled sounds reasonable - they chose not to be ruled and therefore needed an empire to ensure this. However…
Read MoreDemocracy in Greece played a part in the successful performance of Athens in the Persian wars which ended in 468. The result of the wars was an Athenian empire. But, as is often the case (or always?) with empires, there is never enough - power and wealth want more power and wealth. Power and wealth walk hand in hand becoming imbued with hubris and arrogance along the way.
Read MoreAs per the prior post, there was much credit to give to the Athenians and their new political structure. However, the growing power and confidence and consequent hubris, began to change the Delian League as Athens progressively asserted its will on its allies.
Read MoreOver its first 40 years, the fledgling Athenian democracy was severely challenged by nearly continuous war. As part of outlining this period, I invite the reader to test the following hypothesis: While the timeframe and many other details differ, are there notable (and instructive) parallels between this period and beyond, and the first 140 years of American democracy?
Read MoreAs in other city-states, in the 7th century BC Athens was controlled by a small group of wealthy families. Unsurprisingly, the social unrest in the Greek world discussed above occurred in Athens as well. A precipitating event took place in 632 BC. Cylon, a nobleman, attempted to establish a tyranny.
Read MoreGiven the changes outlined previously, the centralized aristocracy system came under significant pressure for changes in the structure of power and societal administration. As is often the case with those holding entrenched power, the aristocracy did not respond well.
Read MoreDemocracy has been described as “one of the rarest, most delicate, and fragile flowers in the jungle of human experience”(Donald Kagan, Pericles). “It has been a fleeting phenomenon in the history of government and has lain outside the experience of the vast majority of the peoples of the world down the ages.
Read MoreThe following begins a series of posts outlining and discussing the initial development of Democracy.
Read MoreDemocracy is: durable but fragile; temporal but enduring, and; imperfect but uniquely oriented towards freedom.
Read MoreAlong with sometimes widespread and disturbing amorality, there is strong evidence that human beings are fundamentally moral…
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The graphic is a representation of citizenship and community as the foundation of Democracy. The small outer circles are either individuals or groups. These are connected to each other and to the center circle. The center circle is a community, large or small. The idea is that all are made stronger and more vital through these connections.
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