Subjects
Grades
Athens: a first experiment in democracy
Concept sheet | History
Secondary
1-2
Table of contents
It was with Greek civilisation, in the city-state of Athens, that the first form of democracy was experimented with, in the5th century B.C. This political system was the fruit of the reflections of Greek philosophers. Although it is not in every way similar to contemporary democracy, it nevertheless laid the foundations for it.
Democracy : democracy is a political system that gives power to the people. In this system, it is the people who make decisions about the running of a state (country) using their right to vote.
Pericles
Here is a list of fact sheets dealing with the city-state of Athens in the 5th century BC.
The concepts covered in the following sheets go beyond those seen in secondary school. They are intended as a supplement for those who are curious to find out more.