List and discuss the four key elements of the Athenian democracy.

Athenian democracy, which existed from c. 460 BCE to c. 320 BCE, was a direct form of government. Cleisthenes,  the ruler of Athens at the time, reformed the system of government to include a large portion of the citizenry.

1. Direct democracy – Athenian democracy was a form of direct democracy as opposed to representative democracy. In a society based on direct democracy all men over 18 years of age were required to participate in government, had freedom of speech, and were considered to be equal participants in civil life. They were required to attend meetings, or assemblies, on a regular basis in order to insure the democratic ideals were upheld.


2. The first of the governing bodies was called the ekklesia. This section of government dealt with foreign policy and defense. In addition, this group wrote the laws that the Athenians lived by.


3. The second section of the government was called the boule. There were ten Athenian tribes, and the boule was comprised of members of each of the tribes. This insured each tribe had equal input into Athenian life.


4. The final section of the Athenian democracy was the dikasteria. The dikasteria was the judicial system for Athens. Each year men were chosen, through a lottery system, to act as jurors. The citizenry presented their cases before the jurors who adjudicated them.

Although Athenian democracy was short-lived, it left a lasting impression on governmental development for centuries to come.