a lifestyle with the cooperation of democracy. The civilizations of Greece passed through many stages of government. In the 8th and 7th centuries the government was known as an oligarchy. An oligarchy is the rule of the city-state by a selected few usually consisting of wealthy landowners. These representatives made decisions based on their own ideals without the consideration of the people. Decisions were made not with the interest of the majority but with the interests of the few. Since the oligarchy was primarily run by wealthy landowners, the interests of the poor were often ignored. However, tensions began to arise between these wealthy landowners which left the majority of the public in a state of discontent and fury. This discontent of the majority of the people made way for the form of government called a tyranny. A tyranny is known as one man who seizes absolute power of the city-states. In Greek civilizations a tyranny is someone who seizes power of the King without proper royal descent. The citizens accepted the change because it provided them with inspiration that was lost during the tensions arising within the oligarchy. (MacLaren, 80) The tyrants of the Greek civilization flourished during the 7th century because of their ability to introduce this new form of governing. The tyrants appealed to the citizens because they displayed themselves as military innovators or entrepreneurs who united their economic dominance into a new form of political power unseen in the past. Many tyrants of the Greek culture, similar to the those of the oligarchy, had incredible wealth. Two idealistic tyrants were Croesus and Polycrates whom were above their fellow people with their extreme amount of wealth. Blinded to their individualistic motives, the Greek people accepted many powers of which the tyrant awarded himself. Tyrants were able to award their friends and punish their enemies in any way they wished, and possessed nearly an unlimited sexual freedom. (McGlew, 26) “To the tyrant his rule is a blessing; to the city it is a curse. And in each case the reason is the same: the tyrant can do what he pleases.” (McGlew quoting Connor, 26) Herodotus notes many acts of sexual freedom among tyrants in his works. Periander had relations with his deceased wife while Cambyses participated in incest with his own sister. The philosopher Plato records such acts of sexual freedom when he writes of the tyrant, Gyges, who wore a magical ring. The ring provided him with the power “to take without fear whatever he desires from the agora, go into any house and sleep with whomever he wishes, kill or release from bonds whomever he wants and do other things that gods do to men.” (McGlew 26) The tyrants of antiquity acted in their own interests without the consulting of others. Aristotle represents “tyranny in Politics as a “perversion” that serves the personal advantages of the ruler alone, or a “despotic monarchy of the political community” or a, “despotic rule conducted according to the ruler’s personal judgement.”” (McGlew, 27) The ability of a tyrant to have complete control over a city-state created an image within the eyes of the citizens as a character of horror. Thus, the power and vision of a tyrant often led him to being overthrown which ultimately led to the establishment of a democracy within the Greek city-states. The overthrowing of a tyrant was a logical conclusion to of his own self-representation, and the ability of his subjects to show resistance against him. When people revolted against their master’s power they did so to not to simply destroy power of the tyrant but to appropriate the power in their own interests. (McGlew, 5) The citizens of Athens devised a plan to overthrow the tyranny that haunted the city-state by making their own constitution. The Athenians insisted that power could only remain in the middle if citizens were political equals. (McGlew, 149) The novel idea of having the citizens be pol

Some topics in this essay:
Croesus Polycrates, James Madison, Athens Athens, United Greek, Attendance Assembly, Bill Rights, Greeks Athenians, Athens American, Similarly Athenian, Athens United, athenian democracy, form government, american democracy, male citizens, forms government, government democracy, ordinary people, greek city-states, democracy form, power government, democracy form government, 5th century athens, acts sexual freedom, citizens political equals, system checks balances,