FREE ESSAY ON ATHENS VS. SPARTA

ATHENS VS. SPARTA

During the times of Ancient Greece, two major forms of government existed, democracy and
oligarchy. The city-states of Athens and Sparta are the best representatives of democracy
and oligarchy, respectively. The focus of the times was directed towards military
capabilities, while the Athenians were more interested in comfort and culture. It was the
oligarchy in Sparta that put a war-like attitude as its first priority and best met the
needs of Ancient Greece. These factors empowered Sparta and led to the development of an
authoritative and potent state. Other contrasting issues included women's rights, social
classes, and value of human life.
Four rulers, Draco, Solon, Pisistratus, and Cleithenes, greatly influenced the political
development of Athens. However, Athenian democracy cannot really be called a true
democracy since there were several flaws in the government and the way in which it
functioned. Upper class male citizens over the age of thirty were the only Athenians who
held any right to vote. The democracy in Athens consisted of an executive, legislative,
and judicial branch. Together, nine anchors, a Council of five hundred, an Assembly, and
a court chosen by lot governed the city-state with limited power. The Assembly was made
up of five hundred men who were chosen from a list of those who were eligible to serve on
the council. All branches of the government were capable of vetoing one another. It was
also customary to expel from the country any speaker who became too powerful. This rule
could easily be abused and often infringed on the freedom of speech that most democracies
have. However, as stated in the Athenian Constitution, male citizens were equal and the
government's focus was on the individual rather than the state as a whole. This form of
government could have run smoothly if it had not existed in a time led my military
empires.
The government in Sparta followed a very different coarse than that of the Athenians. It
was controlled by an oligarchy in which the power was held by a group of five men called
ephors. Working below the ephors was the Council of Elders and an Assembly. Male citizens
over age sixty could serve on the Council while anyone, male or female, over the age of
twenty could be a member of the Assembly. Though the citizens had little say in the
decisions made by the government, the system worked effectively. Over the years, the
Spartan's brutal reputation in war grew so great that other nations and city-states were
too frightened to attack Sparta even though the Spartan army was no larger then eight
thousand men. The Spartan Constitution called for all men to begin their military
education at the age of seven, where they were trained to be tough and self-sufficient.
Every man in the army fought with a great deal of passion for his country. Life in Sparta
may have been rough, but the rest of the Greeks envied the Spartans for their simplicity,
straight forwardness, and fanatical dedication. The beliefs of Sparta were oriented
around the state. The individual lived and died for the state. The combination of this
philosophy, the education of Spartan males, and the discipline of their army gave the
Spartans the stability needed to survive in Ancient Greece.
The Athenian economy depended on foreign trade and travel. Because of Athens' location on
the Aegean Sea, sailing increased trade and placed Athenian ships everywhere from the
Black Sea to Spain. While trade was a necessity in Athens, there was a law in Sparta that
banned all foreign trade and foreign traveling. This kept out foreign ideas and allowed
an element of surprise when it came to attacks. However, this law did not affect their
economy, which was already self-sufficient. 
Social classes in Athens and Sparta were structured in basically the same way, with an
upper class, a lower class consisting of slaves, and a buffer class in the middle. In
Athens, citizens held the highest rank, and males were privileged with voting rights
while women holding citizenship were still regarded as minors. The non-Athenians, or
metics, worked as merchants or artisans. Though they paid the same taxes as citizens,
metics could never own land or participate in government. Lastly came the slaves who were
a necessity to Athens and dependent on their master. Though owning no property and
sharing no privileges with the citizens, the law protected the slaves from being treated
brutally. The Spartans of highest stature were the citizens, descending from the Dorian
invaders. Secondly were the neighbors who worked in commerce and industry. The helots
served as slaves and were sometimes killed when caught defying the government.
Quite possibly one of the greatest differences between the Athenian and the Spartans
regarded their attitude towards women. When applied to the nations as a whole, woman
defined the ancient city-states of Athens and Sparta. Both their roles in society and
their relationship with the community played a major role in the development and
effectiveness of each state's government and culture. At infancy, girls and boys alike
were evaluated by the Spartan government. Spartan girls who survived infancy received a
public education. The education was physical, not academic. They were trained in
gymnastics and taught patriotism to Sparta. They were not trained militarily; the
emphasis in their upbringing was on preparing them for their important role as wives and
mothers of male warriors. At twenty, Spartan women married, and they were encouraged to
bear as many children as possible. Aristotle tells us that, "desiring to make the
Spartans as numerous as possible", Lycurgus offered incentives for couples producing
children. Unlike the rest of Greek women, Spartan women had the freedom of equality
except for voting rights. They did little housework or sewing. Such tasks were for the
slaves, the helots. Aristotle suggested some wives had power beyond household affairs.
Since men were in the military, the women had full authority over their households and
were not forced into a life of only childbearing and housekeeping like the Athenian
woman. Spartan women generally lived an outdoor life, wrestling, boxing, and racing, for
example. The state believed athletic women would produce strong, healthy sons for the
army. Because the woman of Sparta exemplified a greater political and authoritative
influence, the nation thrived and became a world leader. When Athenian girls came of age,
their fathers offered them for marriage. Even as wives, they were required to stay indoor
at all times. Their primary life tasks were child rearing, housework, and sewing. The
public's contempt for woman in Athens is well represented in Pericles' Funeral Oration,
in which several references are made to the equality and justice of Athenian life.
Knowing that the women in Athens shared no rights with the masculine race, it is clearly
seen how they are not even included in reference to the Athenian people as a whole.
The United States' view of women is much closer to that of the Spartans' rather than the
Athenians'. Though women of Sparta still could not vote, their lives were not as
wrongfully restricted as those of Athens. The women of America shape our nation just as
the ancient women did, whether it was for better or worse. In Sparta, marriage was not an
answer to social needs, but more of the basis for a stronger family foundation. All
emphasis was put on raising and educating the children, just as many wish to see in
America. For the most part, families in America are directly associated with children and
their significance to our nation.
Many aspects of these ancient societies can still be seen in some of today's present
cultures. The United States, for instance, since 1776 has strived to serve the best
interest of the nation through a form of government we call Democracy. Though our form of
democracy is representative rather than Athens' direct democracy, the intent remains the
same. We boast equality just as the Athenians did, although their image of it was
distorted. American equality is given to all, regardless of social status or gender.
However, the Athenians practiced what could be called limited equality since only upper
class males actually held rights and absolute freedom. 
The oligarchy in Sparta somewhat resembled the totalitarian culture of the twentieth
century Nazis. Totalitarianism is a form of government in which one ruler dictates the
behavior of an entire nation with absolute power. Like the Nazi's, a central power had
authority over the government and the state as a whole. Hitler was the Nazi's central
power, while the Spartans were headed by five ephors. The unlimited power of the ephors
allowed them to dictate the thoughts and actions of the entire city-state of Sparta, much
like Adolph Hitler ruled over his Nazi nation. However, the command of the ephors was
divided by three, rather than being held by an individual.
Athens and Sparta can be compared to each other in many ways. However, in today's
culture, we can never completely achieve the military power of Sparta, nor the sense of
individual well being exemplified in Athens. We mimic their beliefs, while at the same
time improve their customs. America too is a great nation; however, just like Athens and
Sparta, we are often shaped by our mistakes and defined by our flaws.