Bede Laracy

The Rule of Law in the Athenian Democracy: Origins, History, Bede Laracy

After the reign of tyranny in Athens in 6th century BC, the idea of democracy began to emerge through the reforms of Cleisthenes, and Athens developed into a mature democratic community by mid 5th century BC. By the end of the 5th century, Athens was in turmoil after losing the Peloponnesian War. Rather than self-destructing, however, Athens established an internal stability that would last until the entry of Philip of Macedon. What enabled this stability was the tempering of demotic power with the rule of law. The topic of the work has been well debated over time. This work seeks to help bring together what is otherwise a large body of complex material. It scopes out the development of democracy, and looks at how Athens overcame problems along the way. It ultimately argues that the rule of law was a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for stability within democratic Athens. This book offers newcomers to Athenian history a useful overview of the history and developments of the Athenian democracy. It also offers the more advanced reader some in-depth discussion of particular aspects of Athenian history.