Athens Vs Sparta Essay

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How did people in Athens and Sparta obtain the right to participate in public life and make decisions affecting the community? Who held public office? What rules governed the selection of public office holders? How were the two city-states similar in their governmental structures? How did they differ? Very similar in terms of structure, Athenian and Spartan bicameral systems are very different in mechanism. Both have a high assembly mainly aristocrats: Gerousia and the Ephors in Sparta, Boule in Athena, and both have a lower assembly of free male citizens: Apella in Sparta and Ekklesia in Athena. However, in Athena the the Ekklesia had the executive power, in contrast to Sparta where the executive power was centred aroud the wealthy members of the Gerousia and the Ephors. The expansion over Messenian territories and the need involve their neighbors in order to procure the food, have transformed the Spartans into a military society. Male individuals were destined to live a soldier life. Although the Spartans young boys of only seven years old were begin their military training, they were considered adults only by the age 30 when they would join the political life. (Brand)…show more content…
It had the electoral power to choose the twenty-eight member of Gerousia and the five Ephors and some executive power to the extent of passing the laws elaborated by the Grousia and the Ephors. However, this two political entities also had a veto right on the Assembly’s decision. This makes the Spartan system closer to a dictatorship and different from the Athenian democracy and accumulates the power around Gerousia’s wealthy members and the five Ephods. The only allowed under 60 years old members of the Gerousia, were the two kings of Sparta, who had more a military leader position then legislative. (Scaife & Mahoney,

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