The Greek democracy Was the first step towards the establishment of the democratic concept as it is known today. Although it laid the foundations of modern democracy, several aspects are fundamentally different.
The word democracy was born in Greece and derives from the term Democracy Which literally means"ruled by the people".
Illustration of Greece, cradle of democracy
This first definition laid the foundation for all the philosophical arguments of democracy as a system of government.
In the definition of Greek democracy, the people were unquestionably the people of Greece, with some restrictions on the inhabitants who could participate in politics.
The term people today finds different interpretations between those who assume that it refers to the world population or to a specific territory.
Among the most important differences of the democratic polis and the modern democratic state are the different territorial extension, the different demographic volume, the different forms of participation of the inhabitants of the political life, among others.
Territory and number of inhabitants
In ancient Greece, city-states had a small extent compared to present-day cities, and the nucleus of political life where decisions were made was relatively small.
At present, the territory of democracy is much larger.
As for the number of inhabitants, the population of the Greek city-states was small and not all participated in the political decisions.
Although there are currently members of societies that do not have access to political participation, the restrictions are much smaller.
In the days of Greek democracy, important philosophers like Plato Y Aristotle They spoke of the importance of the territory and the inhabitants who participated in the political decisions.
Plato proposed as ideal the city-state with 5000 inhabitants. For his part, Aristotle claimed that a city-state with less than 10 members was not possible, but one with more than 100,000 would be unmanageable.
At present, states of 10,000 inhabitants are considered small.
Participation of citizens in political life
Greek city-states were small communities where relations between individuals were primary and very direct relations. This made democratic participation more direct.
On the other hand, the political life of the Greek city-states was more intense than in the present democracies.
The number of those included in political life being smaller, the inclusivity of them was greater.
In Aristotle's analysis of political life, the political institution of a city-state determined who had the qualities to govern.
This idea was related to the fact that the different ancient Greece They had different governments with different types of citizens.
Other aspects of Greek democracy
In political discussions in ancient Greece, there was little difference between the public and the private.
Political life, social life, religion, and economics mingled considerably in the decision-making of Greek democracy.
Greek democracy was highly permeated by religion. In this aspect it differs significantly from the current states which are mostly laymen.
Greek democracy was an instrument through which the common good and social organization. This conception is still preserved in today's democracies.
References
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- Shuifa H. Jinglei H. The concept of Democracy. Frontiers of Philosophy in China . 2008; 3 (4): 622-632.
- Uribe Villegas Ó. What is democracy? (Examples of: its changing historical significance). Mexican Journal of Sociology ,. 1964; 26 (3): 881-895.
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