Cleisthenes and his Reforms

Who was Cleisthenes and what did he do?

• An Athenian, who in 508BCE enlarged the Athenian assembly and increased its powers.

• He created a council of 500 to represent the different classes.

• He granted citizenship to some freedmen (former slaves) and to some immigrants

• Supposedly invented ostracism.

What was special about Cleisthenes' council of 500?

• The council created and administered laws after they were approved by the Assembley.

• The council could issue decrees on its own, regarding certain matters, but its main function was to prepare the agenda for meetings of the Assembly.

• The 500 citizens were 50 from each of ten tribes, and served for one year.

• Many of the council were not part of the citizen body at all, and freedmen and immigrants made up 100 of the council.

How did Cleisthenes' 'ostracism' work?

• Any Athenian who was regarded as being too powerful and dangerous to the welfare if the people was sent into exile for ten years.

• In the sixth prytany of each year the people were asked in the assembly if they wanted an ostracism to be held.

• On a piece of ostrakon the name if the person to be ostracised was scratched.

• A quorum of 6000 citizens was necessary for an ostracism to be valid.

How did Cleisthenes contribute to the establishment of democracy?

• By destroying the basis of old jealousies and factional strife he unified the state

• By relating local government to the central government, Cleisthenes helped the Athenians to see themselves as an integral part of the government of the state

• Cleisthenes' wider use of his method of appointment was more democratic in that it emphasised the equality of all citizens.

• Ostracism protected the state against tyranny.

Why was Cleisthenes' development of Athens needed?

• Athens was in anarchy without any leadership and it was an unsafe and largely unproductive place to live.

• The Ionian tribes that currently formed the basis for Government had ties to wealthy and powerful families.

• He thus formed new tribes according to territory.

What were Cleisthenes' aims in the development of Athens:

• To mix up the tribes "so that more men should have a share in the running of the state." (Aristotle)

• Some ancient sources say it was only because of his rivalry with Isagoras.

• His reforms were well designed, meaning he should have been genuine in his desire for Isonomia (equality of rights among all citizens)

• In his formation of the tribes he deliberately arranged them where it benefited his family, and weakened other rich and powerful land owners.

What were Cleisthenes' methods in the development of Athens?

• Demes were small districts such as local towns and villages.

• He divided Athens into an appropriate number of demes according to population.

• He offered citizenship to many freedmen, foreigners and all Athenian women.

Why were the demes important in Cleisthenes' new system? Pt. 1 of 2

• They replaced the social units and became the base for his new tribal system.

• He ensured that one deme was more powerful than the others to keep himself in power.

• Each was its own locally governed unit with annually elected positions that gave the people experience in politics.

• Citizenship was based on the deme, with eighteen year old boys being put on the demes' register and taking on the name of the deme as his second name.

Why were the demes important in Cleisthenes' new system? Pt. 2 of 2

• They created a healthy competition between the demes and boosted productivity within Athens.

• Demes were hereditary, no matter where the sons of fathers moved to.

• Information from deme level records bore a levy of soldiers, candidates for office and the new council of 500.

• The structure emphasised equality of all members.

What were the trittyes?

• Tritty (singular) means a third and were the artificial divisions which Cleisthenes created to mix up the people.

• The basic unit was the deme

• The rulers of each individual deme.

• The trittyes had no independent political function: they were simply the link between deme and tribe.