Sign-In
Cart
King Demos: Democracy and Delegation in Ancient Greece
Hardcover
Ancient GreeceGeneral Political Science
ISBN13: 9781477335291
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: Feb 2 2027
Pages: 248
Language: English
How ancient Greek democracies wrestled with the tension between egalitarianism and hierarchical structures necessary for organized government.
Democracy and egalitarianism are ever in tension. The ideal of direct democracy--equal participation in all aspects of governance--coexists with the reality that hierarchical structures are necessary to organize and stabilize the workings of the state. This tension consumed America's founders. And two thousand years earlier, it had consumed the people of Athens.
King Demos shows how ancient Greek democracies wrestled with this problem, crafting what the Federalist Papers would later dream of, a republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government. As Athens grew and direct democracy became unwieldy, the Greeks developed a system of delegation, with the people (demos) conceived as a king with authority over a sprawling system of state officials whose day-to-day operation was handled by experts. Hierarchical structures became commonplace in the city, yet sovereign powers remained with the citizenry. Andrew Alwine argues that delegation was a stepping stone between direct and representative democracy and provided a crucial compromise, enabling the Greeks to benefit from the abilities of elite citizens while also keeping them under control.
Also in
Ancient Greece
The American School of Spies: The Archaeologists Who Fought the Nazis and Saved the Treasures of Ancient Greece
Talty, Stephan
Hardcover
Penelope's Bones: A New History of Homer's World Through the Women Written Out of It
Hauser, Emily
Paperback
Band on the Run: Xenophon and the First Great Mercenary Army's Epic Escape from Persia
O'Connell, Robert L.
Hardcover
Classical Mythology of the Constellations: Timeless Tales of the Starry Night Sky
Giesecke, Annette
Hardcover
Classical Mythology A to Z: An Encyclopedia of Gods & Goddesses, Heroes & Heroines, Nymphs, Spirits, Monsters, and Places
Giesecke, Annette
Hardcover
Tony Stark, Odysseus, and the Myths Behind Marvel: Ancient Heroes in the Modern World
Meineck, Peter
Hardcover
The First Clash: The Miraculous Greek Victory at Marathon and Its Impact on Western Civilization
Lacey, James
Paperback
A Story Waiting to Pierce You: Mongolia, Tibet and the Destiny of the Western World
Kingsley, Peter
Paperback
After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements
Vearncombe, Erin
Scott, Brandon
Taussig, Hal
Paperback
Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great
Kousser, Rachel
Paperback
A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture
Burstein, Stanley M.
Tolbert Roberts, Jennifer
Pomeroy, Sarah B.
Paperback
Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece
Romm, James
Paperback
Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Unconventional Warfare in the Ancient World
Mayor, Adrienne
Paperback
Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy Was the Offspring of the Egyptian Mystery System
James, George G. M.
Paperback
Encyclopedia of Mythology: A Collection of Greek and Roman Heroes, Gods, and Monsters with Collectible Ephemera - Includes 16 Beautifully Designed Pie
Editors of Chartwell Books
Hardcover
Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece
Romm, James
Hardcover
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: An Extraordinary New Journey Through History's Greatest Treasures
Hughes, Bettany
Paperback
The Histories (Royal Collector's Edition) (Annotated) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Herodotus
Hardcover
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans
Ryan, Garrett
Paperback
Women's Life in Greece and Rome: A Source Book in Translation
Fant, Maureen B.
Lefkowitz, Mary R.
Paperback
The Sacred Band: Three Hundred Theban Lovers and the Last Days of Greek Freedom
Romm, James
Paperback
By the Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire
Worthington, Ian
Paperback
Ancient Wisdom for Polarized Times: Why Humanity Needs Herodotus, the Man Who Invented History
Anhalt, Emily Katz
Hardcover
Complete Poems of C. P. Cavafy: Including the First English Translation of the Unfinished Poems
Cavafy, C. P.
Paperback
Meet Me in Atlantis: Across Three Continents in Search of the Legendary Sunken City
Adams, Mark
Paperback
Mythology: Captivating Greek, Egyptian, Norse Celtic and Roman Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters
Clayton, Matt
Hardcover
The Shortest History of Greece: The Odyssey of a Nation from Myth to Modernity
Heneage, James
Paperback
Goddess with a Thousand Faces: A One-Of-A-Kind Exploration of Goddesses from Our Ancient Past
Elmer, Jasmine
Paperback
Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
Hall, Edith
Paperback
The Little Book of Stoicism: An Introduction to the Key Thinkers, Ideas and Virtues You Need to Know
Barrage, Rasha
Paperback
Greek Mythology: Explore The Timeless Tales Of Ancient Greece, The Myths, History & Legends of The Gods, Goddesses, Titans, Heroes, Monsters & More
Brought Alive, History
Paperback
Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy
Hale, John R.
Paperback
Queen, Warrior, Captain: The Story of Artemisia of Halicarnassus
Sebillotte Cuchet, Violaine
Hardcover
Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great
Kousser, Rachel
Hardcover
The Cave and the Light: Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization
Herman, Arthur
Paperback
Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A.D. to the First Crusade
Kaldellis, Anthony
Paperback
Antiquity: From the Birth of Sumerian Civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire
Cantor, Norman F.
Paperback
Primary Sources for Ancient History: Volume I: The Ancient Near East and Greece
Forsythe, Gary
Paperback
Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire
Romm, James
Paperback
A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War
Hanson, Victor Davis
Paperback
Hermes Runs the Game: Inverted Myth, Sacrifice and Initiation In-Forming the Events of 2020-2024
Crimi, Stephen
Paperback
Greek Mythology Book for Teens: A Chronicle of Ancient Tales (Skriuwer.com Edition)
Auke de Haan
Paperback
The War That Killed Achilles: The True Story of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War
Alexander, Caroline
Paperback
The Muse of History: The Ancient Greeks from the Enlightenment to the Present
Murray, Oswyn
Paperback