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Democracy
- A Life
- Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
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Democracy
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Summary
Ancient Greece first coined the concept of democracy, yet almost every major ancient Greek thinker - from Plato and Aristotle onward - was ambivalent toward or even hostile to democracy in any form. The explanation for this is quite simple: The elite perceived majority power as tantamount to a dictatorship of the proletariat.
In ancient Greece, there can be traced not only the rudiments of modern democratic society but the entire Western tradition of antidemocratic thought. In Democracy, Paul Cartledge provides a detailed history of this ancient political system. In addition, by drawing out the salient differences between ancient and modern forms of democracy, he enables a richer understanding of both.
Cartledge contends that there is no one "ancient Greek democracy" as pure and simple as is often believed. Democracy surveys the emergence and development of Greek politics, the invention of political theory, and - intimately connected to the latter - the birth of democracy, first at Athens c. 500 BCE and then at its greatest flourishing in the Greek world 150 years later. Cartledge then traces the decline of genuinely democratic Greek institutions at the hands of the Macedonians and - subsequently and decisively - the Romans. Throughout, he sheds light on the variety of democratic practices in the classical world as well as on their similarities to and dissimilarities from modern democratic forms, from the American and French revolutions to contemporary political thought.
Authoritative and accessible, Cartledge's book will be regarded as the best account of ancient democracy and its long afterlife for many years to come.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-03-23
Exactly as it’s described to be
An excellent account of the birth of democracy in ancient Greece, with the latter chapters comparing the Athenian democracies to the versions of democracy to be found in our modern world. Thoroughly enjoyed: well written and well narrated, would recommend.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- The Phantom Agent
- 22-08-24
Lots of trees without a forest
When I saw the title and the author's name, I thought I was in for a treat. Sadly, despite the obvious erudition, the book is a rambling account with innumerable digressions and diversions. The book reads like a civil servant's report on the stationary requirements for the forthcoming year. Cartledge presents what must be the best argument both for the development and the nature of democracy based on the evidence but it could have been presented in a far more engaging fashion. As someone well acquainted with the topic, I was hoping for something better. For the general reader, the learning curve they go on may more than compensate them for the dullness of the account.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Roxana
- 01-06-18
not what is described to be
don't get the book if you done specifically study the subject or are in super and I mean super love with historic events.
I expected more theory, more describing the concept of democracy but it seems more like a chronological book of democracy
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1 person found this helpful