Athenian democratic system - Essay Example

In the 5th century, BC Athens experimented direct democracy, this type of democracy system has two preconditions, a small community that is capable of attending debates and voting on issues, secondly, the economy of the community must give its citizens leisure to engage in politics and this type of democracy has rarely been attempted anywhere. The population of Athens conducted a census on the number of slaves and metrics, during the 4th century BC, the population of Athens comprised of some 300,000 people and city families amounted to 100,000 people 30,000 were male citizens, this increased in the 5th century BC which comprised of as high as 60,000 of male citizens.

This is not in line with the preconditions for the set system of democracy that require a small community. In the 5th century, there were no limits on the power exercised by the assembly, if the assembly broke the law the only thing that would happen is to punish those who had agreed to the proposal. In the voting exercise in this century voting required that one be physically present and voting was usually by show of hand, and due to a large number of people attending the people were divided into Quorum of 6000 people and given colored balls, this would increase irregularities in the voting process.

In the same century, 10 fixed assemblies were introduced per year but later more meetings that were not fixed were introduced, political trials were introduced which were conducted in assemblies rather than in court.. In the voting exercise in this century voting required that one be physically present and voting was usually by show of hand, and due to the large umber of people attending the people were divided into Quorum of 6000 people and given colored balls, this would increase irregularities in the voting process.

In the same century 10 fixed assemblies were introduced per year but later more meetings that were not fixed were introduced, political trials were introduced which were conducted in assemblies rather than in court. Attendance into assemblies was allowing only the first 6000 people to arrive and they had to pay.There was also the introduction of the law that excluded citizens who had property close to the city wall on the basis that they had influences on the outcomes of debates; this was because the practice of an invading army was at this time.

This is evident in the attempt to name those who were did not participate in politics as 'idiots' meaning a person who is not interested in politics.In 406 BC an invasion of Sicily was carried out and although they won a group of generals refused to collect survivors, they were tried and sentenced together instead of one by one; they repented later and made up this by executing those who had executed the generals. Two coups interrupted the democratic rule and they are named by numbers in control and this was the four hundred in 411BC and the thirty in 404 BC.

The new democracy established in 403 BC was less capable of rapid response to issues; the new democratic system involved responsibility was shifting from the assembly to the court, law being made by jurors and the decisions of