• Modern scholars often debate the extent and character of Athenian democracy, but such debates actually started in ancient Athens itself. Pericles, the leader of Athens, portrayed Athenian democracy very positively in a public funeral speech given, according to the historian Thucydides, in 430 B.C.E. to honor those who had died in the first year of the Peloponnesian War against Sparta. By contrast, five years later an unknown author highlighted a more negative view of Athenian democracy.

Pericles’s Funeral Speech

“Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighbouring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves. Its administration favours the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy. 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; nor again does poverty bar the way, if a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition. . . .

The magnitude of our city draws the produce of the world into our harbour, so that to the Athenian the fruits of other countries are as familiar a luxury as those of his own. . . .

Nor are these the only points in which our city is worthy of admiration. We cultivate refinement without extravagance and knowledge without effeminacy; wealth we employ more for use than for show, and place the real disgrace of poverty not in owning to the fact but in declining the struggle against it. Our public men have, besides politics, their private affairs to attend to, and our ordinary citizens, though occupied with the pursuits of industry, are still fair judges of public matters. . . .

In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas, while I doubt if the world can produce a man who, where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility, as the Athenian.”

Unknown Author on the Athenian Constitution

“As for the constitution of the Athenians, their choice of this type of constitution I do not approve, for in choosing thus they choose that thieves should fare better than the elite. . . . I shall say that at Athens the poor and the commons seem justly to have the advantage over the well-born and the wealthy; for it is the poor which mans the fleet and has brought the state her power. . . . [However] in those offices which bring security to the whole people if they are in the hands of good citizens, but, if not, ruin, the poor desires to have no share. . . . All those offices, however, whose end is pay and family benefits the poor do seek to hold. . . .

Secondly, some people are surprised that everywhere they give the advantage to thieves, the poor, and the radical elements rather than to the elite. This is just where they will be seen to be preserving democracy. For if the poor and the common people and the worse elements are treated well, the growth of these classes will exalt the democracy; whereas if the rich and the elite are treated well the democrats strengthen their own opponents. In every land the elite are opposed to democracy. Among the elite there is very little license and injustice, very great discrimination as to what is worthy, while among the poor there is very great ignorance, disorderliness, and thievery. . . .

Of such mainland states as are subject to Athenian rule the large are in subjection because of fear, the small simply because of need; there is not a city which does not require both import and export trade, and it will not have that unless it is subject to Athens — the rulers of the seas. . . . The Athenians alone possess the wealth of the Hellenes and the foreigners.”

Sources: Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Richard Crawley (New York: Modern Library, 1951), pp. 103–106; unknown author in Fred Fling, ed., A Source Book of Greek History (Boston: D. C. Heath, 1907), pp. 155–158.

QUESTIONS FOR ANALYSIS