Many people who come from wealthy families typically feel that they are entitled to superiority over others simply based on their families' assets. The same can be said for Athenians because their government was originally ran by men of wealth. In fact, it would have been nearly impossible for someone of poverty to hold a political position while trying to make a living since these offices didn't receive monetary payments. As the years went by, the Athenian government changed and Pericles gained the support of its citizens and that era is now known as the Golden Age. Pericles supported democracy in Athens but some of his actions prove to be contradictory; however, the majority of Athenians seemed to be happy with their democracy. .
After receiving the support of Athens, Pericles created paid positions for those who served on the jury or the Council of 500 (Hunt). By making this change, he was able to remove some of the power from the wealthy people of Athens and gave the poor a chance to participate (Hunt). This was much different than the government prior to Pericles because political roles were only held by those who met the requirements of "birth and wealth " (Excerpts From Aristotle, The Athenian Constitution). Pericles' Funeral Oration supports the new democracy by his statement, "If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences; if no social standing advancement in public life falls to reputation for capacity, class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit [ ]. .
Pericles added to the Athenian democracy; however, it did have some flaws. While he allowed paid political positions, there was still a lack of balance to the Athenian democracy. For example: foreigners, women, and slaves were not allowed to vote in Athens (Hunt). This demonstrates a lack of depth of the Athenian democracy because it those eligible to hold political office did not accurately represent the majority of the people living in Athens.
