Program Information

In the relatively short history of human civilization, democracy has only rarely emerged as a way of doing public business. In ancient Greece, democracy matured by means of the politics of rhetoric through the efforts of a group of aristocrats.

A Moment in Time is a brief, exciting and compelling journey into the past. Created to excite and enlighten the public about the past, its relevance to the present and its impact on the future, A Moment In Time is a captivating historical narrative that is currently broadcast worldwide.

Transcript

Lead: In the short history of human civilization, democracy has only rarely emerged as a way of doing public business. In ancient Greece, democracy matured by means of the politics of rhetoric through the efforts of a group of aristocrats.

Intro: A Moment In Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: Democracy, the rule of the people, is a rare and precious thing. Since the beginning of human government, most people have been told how to live by monarchs, oligarchs or dictators. The human will to power is a commanding impulse and most leaders have aspired to power as absolute as they could achieve. In ancient Greece, from about 620 BC for almost four centuries, in fits and starts, the Greek city-state of Athens gradually established the rule of the people. This change came as a result of the efforts of several important aristocrats who, acting against their class and position in society and in the name of the public good, helped create an experiment in self-rule that would not be repeated for centuries.

Prior to the late 600s, Athens followed the pattern of most emerging civilized societies. Wealth and power was concentrated in the hands of a small group of families and their extended clans. About 620 BC the legislator Draco, whose existence as an individual some scholars dispute, prepared a codification of Athenian law renown for its "draconian" severity. It did, however, limit the power of the aristocratic magistrates. Henceforth, they were required to put aside arbitrary judgments and govern by the established rule of law.

This first step in making rich and poor equal under the law was consolidated by the statesman Solon. His 594 BC constitution set the city-state on the road to democracy. He made the political arena a more equitable place by giving the poorer classes a share and stake in civic rule.

Next time: Pericles and the politics of rhetoric.

The producer of A Moment In Time is Steve Clark. At the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.

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