The Rise And Fall Of The World's First Democracy

Contrary to popular belief the United States of America is not the world's first democratic experiment. In the year 508 BCE, Cleisthenes seized power from the tyrants-- a military government-- who controlled the city-state of Athens in what is now Greece and decided to implement changes that would allow the citizens of Athens self-rule.

Athen's democracy wasn't perfect in that women didn't have suffrage and slavery existed in Athens but it was the beginnings of a movement that continues until this day.

Athens was ruled by two houses the first being an assembly of no less than 6000 adult males from the general population. Sometimes men had to be dragged to the Assembly in order to meet the quota of 6000 in attendance.

The second house was the Council-- a group of 500 citizens as chosen by an annual lottery. Again, this wasn't a perfect democracy but at least campaign finance was never an issue in how council members voted.

The government of Athens, while actually a sortition democracy was quite close to what we now call direct democracy. Switzerland is currently run via direct democracy as national referendums and initiatives take place two to four times a year.

Sadly, Athens was never able to mature into a full democracy with equal rights for all its citizens due to corruption and a complete economic collapse brought on buy a condition we Americans now call pork barrel or Congressional earmarks.

Read it and weep.