In reading the political address by the Old Oligarch, it is non difficult to see merely how acrimonious some Athenians were about the establishment of Democracy. This being so, one must analyze the rearward side of the coin, the authorization of the lower category known as the parks. The Athenian democracy brought with it a assortment of chance for the common work forces of Athens. Prior to this period, the upper category held the top places and had the concluding say in governmental proceedings. It is through the acrimonious words of work forces, such as the Old Oligarch, that historians come to understand merely how Athens, every bit good as the parks, benefited from their signifier of authorities and control of the alleged Alliess.
Toward the terminal of the Iranian wars, a conference was established among Grecian metropoliss who depended upon trade in the Aegean as a support. The Delian League began as a voluntary manner for strong, every bit good as weak metropoliss, to band together against Persia in Greek inhabited countries of Asia Minor. Over clip Athinais became the caput of this conference and the Iranian menace was put down for the clip being.
A few members of the conference felt it was due clip they severed their tie to the conference and went back to life their manner of life. Athinais on the other manus had grown accustomed to the money in the signifier of testimonial payments which kept the naval forces among other things in tip-top form. When the metropoliss threatened to go forth the conference, Athens non merely prevented their going, but quashed them to the point they would no longer hold the agencies to go forth the conference.
It might be suggested that the ability of the Alliess to pay testimonial is the strength of Athens. The democrats think it more advantageous that each single Athenian should possess the wealth of the Alliess and the Alliess merely plenty to populate on, and go on working without holding the power to cabal ( Oligarch, 15 ) .
During this same clip, the common work forces of Athinais were being given power in the authorities far beyond those of metropoliss where blue regulation was favored. For Athens, the common work forces made up the naval forcess and were paid for their service rendered as oarsmans on ships such as the desired Athenian trireme. This was a new thought in the wagi nanogram of war. Cities, such as Sparta, still relied on the conventional land bound Hoplite warfare which was made up largely of blue bloods due to the disbursal of armour and arms.
Another country in which the common work forces of Athens took to power was in public speech production. What one time was a forum of blue gentlemen gave manner to an assembly made up of all Athenian citizens who wished to talk on behalf of his fellow adult male. Athens as a whole benefited from their power over the alleged Alliess with their control of the sea. Trade was important to Athens in both commercialism and a agency of prolonging life. Grain every bit good as stuffs for ship edifice made their manner to Athens? port. This trade was extremely regulated and enforced in all allied metropoliss.
If a metropolis is rich in shipbuilding lumber where will it dispose of it unless it win the consent of the swayer of the sea? More over they will non let our challengers to take their goods elsewhere or ( if they try ) they will non utilize the sea ( Oligarch II. 11-12 ) . Through this trade monopoly, Athens and the parks had the advantage. All of the ships were made in Athens by the parks. That brought in money and supplies from the Alliess, while supplying a agency of life for the parks and power to the Empire as a whole. Athens had grown in power to the point where, ? … the big [ were ] in subjugation because of fright, [ and ] the little merely because of demand … ? ( Oligarch II. 3 ) .
The democracy of Athens was in crisp contrast the the blue regulation of the rival metropolis Sparta. The parks of Athens were given the rights antecedently held by the upper crust of the people. Given the location of Athens and dependance upon trade, democracy may hold been the lone manner to travel. Without the demand for a strong naval forces to protect its port, or ships to contradict trade, Athens, like Sparta, could hold gone on in much the same governmental manner. Regardless, the accomplishments of the common adult male in Athens were cardinal to the formation of the democracy. Athinais? sheer domination over trade as a means to command those one time voluntarily allied to the Delian League was a immense political manoeuvre. However, such a move would non travel unnoticed and the tensenesss between Athens and Sparta would go on to maturate.
