Athens on Trial (ebook)

Argumento de Athens on Trial (ebook)

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.

"A first-rate intellectual and cultural history."--Stephen Goode, The Washington Times

"Roberts has given us an excellent study of [the Athenian] legacy...Athens on Trial deserves praise both for its conception and its execution."--Eric W. Robinson, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"Roberts . . . writes with learning, wit, acerbity, profundity, and engagement on the vicissitudes of the idea [of democracy] in its supposedly original Athenian form."--Paul Cartledge, New Statesman & Society0Preface and Acknowledgments Abbreviations Ch. 1 Introduction 3 Pt. 1 Classical Greece 23 Ch. 2 The Athenian Experiment 25 Ch. 3 The First Attacks on Athenian Democracy 48 Ch. 4 Democracy and the Philosophers 71 Pt. 2 Playing With the Past 93 Ch. 5 Roman Adaptations 97 Ch. 6 Recovering the Greeks 119 Ch. 7 Monarchists and Republicans 137 Ch. 8 The Debate over Athens and Sparta 156 Ch. 9 Athenian Democracy in the Age of Revolutions 175 Ch. 10 A Shift in the Sands 208 Pt. 3 Modern Transformations 227 Ch. 11 The Turning of the Tide 229 Ch. 12 Athenians and Others 256 Ch. 13 Epilogue: The Old and the New 291 Notes 315 Selected Bibliography 379 Index 393