Athenian Democracy

This pamphlet outlines the development and operation of Athenian democracy to the end of the fifth century BC. Separate sections examine the prelude to democracy, the emergence of a democratic system, and the way this system worked in practice. A final section focuses on the questions:

• how should we judge the success of Athenian democracy?
• who benefitted?
• was it an efficient system of government?
• in what sense was Athenian democracy the forerunner of modern democracies?