Athens on Trial

by Roberts, Jennifer Tolbert

• ISBN13: 9780691029191
• ISBN10: 0691029199
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-01-06
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

The Classical Athenians were the first to articulate and implement the notion that ordinary citizens of no particular affluence or education could make responsible political decisions. For this reason, reactions to Athenian democracy have long provided a prime Rorschach test for political thought. Whether praising Athens's government as the legitimizing ancestor of modern democracies or condemning it as mob rule, commentators throughout history have revealed much about their own notions of politics and society. In this book, Jennifer Roberts charts responses to Athenian democracy from Athens itself through the twentieth century, exploring a debate that touches upon historiography, ethics, political science, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, gender studies, and educational theory.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction	p. 3
Classical Greece	p. 23
The Athenian Experiment	p. 25
The First Attacks on Athenian Democracy	p. 48
Democracy and the Philosophers	p. 71
Playing With the Past	p. 93
Roman Adaptations	p. 97
Recovering the Greeks	p. 119
Monarchists and Republicans	p. 137
The Debate over Athens and Sparta	p. 156
Athenian Democracy in the Age of Revolutions	p. 175
A Shift in the Sands	p. 208
Modern Transformations	p. 227
The Turning of the Tide	p. 229
Athenians and Others	p. 256
Epilogue: The Old and the New	p. 291
Notes	p. 315
Selected Bibliography	p. 379
Index	p. 393
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