Warring City States

Today in Western Civ we started a new chapter. Lauren gave Mr. Schick the plastic bags for his TV production class too, no Satan ones however. Anyway, we also reviewed what we learned in the first chapter, and took notes on chapter 2, and this is what I wrote down:

Chapter 2- Warring City States

polis- fundamental political unit, made up of a city and the surrounding countryside, politics
monarchy- rule by single person (a King in Athens since there were no such things as queens there)
aristocracy- rule by small groups of noble, rich, landowning families
oligarchy- wealthy groups dissatisfied with aristocratic rule, seized power usually with military force
tyrant- powerful individual who seized control by appealing to the common people for support

Transformation of Government

• during the seventh and sixth centuries BCE, aristocrats ran the show in most of Greece 
• rich had more influence in society and held more government power than middle class or the poor 

Aristocracy 

• aristocrats- members of ruling class, they attended symposiums which are meetings where the elite men would enjoy wine, poetry, etc. while discussing political duties, women were only there for entertainment, and if there were any slaves they were there for merely entertainment as well 
• aristocrats on the outside would be excluded from these meetings 
• (Spartans treated women better than the men in Athens did. Go Sparta.) 

Tyrants Seize Control 

• tyrant rules outside of the frame work of the polis 
• modern meaning of tyrant- abusive or apprehensive ruler
• aristocrats would sometimes form alliances with the tyrants