Timeline of Different Ancient Greek Governments
City-states in Ancient Greece had many different types of government. These governments were called monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, or democracy.
Monarchy
A single ruler, such as a king, queen, or emperor, holds all the power in a country or empire
Oligarchy
Several people rule a country or empire together, sharing the power
Tyranny
A person seizes power illegally
Democracy
All citizens share the ruling power
- In a direct democracy every citizen can vote on every issue
- In a representative democracy people vote for representatives who decide issues in their name
Click on the picture below and read along to learn more about the different types of democracy:
The people living in the city-state of Athens developed a form of government called democracy, or "rule by the people." Any male citizen could vote on any issue. This is called a direct democracy.
This Athenian government laid the foundation for future governments like the one we have in the United States of America. We have a representative democracy. This means that instead of every citizen voting on every issue, we elect representatives to do the voting for us.
This Athenian government laid the foundation for future governments like the one we have in the United States of America. We have a representative democracy. This means that instead of every citizen voting on every issue, we elect representatives to do the voting for us.
Now, think about and answer the following questions:
1. What kind of government does the United States of America have?
2. How is our government different from the government of Ancient Athens?
2. How is our government different from the government of Ancient Athens?