In ancient Greece, the Aristocracy was a class of wealthy citizens who had political rights, and held certain positions in government. In Athens, men …show more content…
Certain aspects of Spartan rule were tyrannical; they would conquer neighboring cities and turn those people into slaves, and the oppressed sought redress through revolts and uprisings. There is a marked difference between their actions and those in a democracy. Also, Athenians in the lower income group, the 199-bushel men worked with their government, were willing to go to war and chose to work as rowers for the hundreds of ships in the Athenian fleet. Tyrannical governments are more likely to be found in monarchies, where one man has absolute power that is invariably abused. Chances of uprisings and revolts are very high in tyrannical monarchies. The male Spartan knew no other life but it was tyrannical “for the state to demand service and ultimately his life from a tender age” Hassall P, (1999). One thing tyranny has over democracy is that decisions would be made faster than if a vote had to be taken and …show more content…
Government was two kings, “an attempt to avoid absolutism” Hassall P, (1999), the Gerousia of sixty elderly men, and the five non-aristocratic annually elected magistrates called the Ephors. A common feature of an oligarchic government and a democracy is that the assemblies vote on issues, and in the former, a select few raise those issues. Unlike a monarchy, power rests in the hands of a small group of very rich people in an Oligarchy, which was a working form of government alongside democracy in Athens. This dual form of government enabled gifted politicians like Themistocles and Pericles (who were not elected) to hold sway in the assembly where their ideas would find support. Oligarchs can also exist within a monarchy or a tyranny, where they use their wealth and clout to influence the decision