9 The Struggle for Greek Democracy

1
9 The Struggle for Greek Democracy
2
Monotheism as religion of empire

• 1) Animism (of Persian nomads)
• 2) Anthropomorphic polytheism (of Mesopotamia)
• 3) (Animistic) monotheism (of new Persian State)
• Ethical religion of moral good versus evil
• Repeats Egyptian pattern of Akhenaton, but more
  successfully. Why?
• Advantages for empire are abstract, in the
  future, remote from ordinary life
• Disadvantages for local priests and powers are
  very evident

3
Advantages of New Religion

• Advantages for Persians
• Old animism is place-related
• Conquering Persian rulers leave old places
• So open to new belief in a God of Light
• Preserves animistic (naturalistic) character
• Advantages for Mesopotamians
• Old Mesopotamian gods are arbitrary, oppressive,
• not ethical (recall explanation of the Flood)

4
Failure or Victory for Iron Age Mesopotamian
Peasants?

• 1) Seek complete freedom on rain-watered lands
• 2) Provoke intensified violence of Assyrians
• 3) Final result moderate rule of Persia
• gt Great power of Persia dominates vast territory
  (135)
• 4) Confronts new iron age city-states of Greece

5
Three states

• Harappa trade-based civilization
• Persia old style of civilization channels spread
  of new iron-age agriculture
• Greece
• iron-age agriculture developing independently,
• and trading state

6
Outline re Greece

• 1) Geographical position and history
• Riddle of the Sphinx the Riddle of Greece
• 2) The implications of the new elements of
  history for democracy
• Iron
• Alphabet
• Trade
• 3) The Struggle for Greek democracy obstacles to
  freedom
• From the outside
• From within
• 4) Evolution of Greek Religion from religion to
  philosophy

7
1) Greek Peasants Gain Freedom

• Iron plow of free man
• Position in relation to Persia
• Not too far
• Not too close
• Protected from Persia by mountains, sea (p. 150)

8
Geographical basis and history

• Inner geography Plains separated by mountains
• gt Independent, divided city states
• What does this lead to?
• (compare with Mesopotamia)
• When do the Greeks fight each other?
• 1) Persian war
• 2) Peloponnesian war

9
Early Greek Unity

• Greeks unite against Persian invader
• Greeks win Persian War (490-465 BCE)
• How?
• Clue Riddle of the Sphinx

10
Riddle of the Sphinx

• Sphinx (p. 74) symbol of Egypt, old order
• Sphinx guards narrow mountain pass
• Dangerous passes to Greece
• Persians defeated at Battle of Thermopylae
  (narrow coastal pass) (480) by Spartan 300 led
  by Leonidas
• Poses riddle solve it or die
• Oedipus solves riddle
• Man is the higher principle of Greece
  (Hegel)the free (male) human being

11
Man as Solution of the Riddle

• Hunter-gatherers dependent on nature
• Nature religion (animism)
• Early state civilizations ruled by outside
  powers, gods/God
• Arbitrary tyranny of gods
• But trend of ethical monotheism (Akhenaton,
  Zoroaster, Hebrew Bible)
• Greek discovery the human being as an
  independent power
• Man is the measure of all things. Protagoras
  (481-420 BCE)

12
Greek civilization breaks with nature

• Many things cause terror and wonder, yet nothing
• is more terrifying and wonderful than man.
• This thing goes across the gray
• sea on the blasts of winter
• storms, passing beneath
• waters towering 'round him. The Earth,
• eldest of the gods,
• unwithering and untiring, this thing wears down
• as his plows go back and forth year after year
• furrowing her with the issue of horses.
  (Antigone, 332-41)

13
2) New Elements in History (repeat)

• 1) From bronze age to iron age
• New material technology
• 2) Growing trade between societies
• New social elements merchants
• 3) From hieroglyphics to the alphabet
• New mental technology

14
Sources of democracy

• Iron technology
• Bronze aristocratic
• Iron democratic
• Alphabet
• Hieroglyphic writing aristocratic
• Phonetic alphabet as democratic mental technology

15
Promise of the new technology

• Iron as a democratic metal v bronze
• Greater productivity of labor, surpluses
• More leisure time for arts, science, philosophy
• gt A state (government?) of free people ruling
  themselves
• But in Mesopotamia, the old Bronze Age state
  channels the new forces within the old framework

16
Rational Philosophy and Trade

• Relation between Corn and Wine?
• Qualitative differences in appearance
• Trade X Corn Y Wine ??
• What makes two different things equal?
• X Corn 20
• Y Wine 20
• Quantitative calculations of reason replaces
  qualitative experiences
• gtReason seeks truth under appearances

17
How democratic was it?

• 1) Early non-state societies
• 2) Hierarchical state, monarchy
• 3) Greek democratic state
• State or government?
• Free men 1/6 of population of Athens
• a minority rules over a majority
• Hegel on movement of history
• One is free gt Some are free gt All are free

18
3) Two obstacles to freedom

• External the old bronze-age state
• Dynamism of Mesopotamia
• gt Moderate, but powerful state of Persia
• But Greece defeats the old state
• has opportunity to develop the full
  potentialities of iron age agriculture
• Internal
• Growth of inequality from within

19
Rise of Inequality from Within

• Natural development of unequal wealth
• Population growth
• From rich to poor lands
• gt Impoverishment and enslavement
• Debt servitude

20
Two solutions Flight and Fight

• Importance of emigration in early Greek history
• Sea travel improves, opens up new paths to
  freedom
• Colonies grow up on coast of Asia Minor (p. 150)
• Cause of Persian War
• Threat of internal war between classes
• Wars between rich and poor

21
Military advantages of the poor

• No powerful state (yet)
• Cheap iron weapons
• gt Hoplite (phalanx) formation (119)
• Versus aristocratic chariot, unfree infantry
• Requires discipline, leisure gt wealth
• Egalitarian military formation
• gt Freedom of citizens is essential to military
  strength of polis

22
4) Religion of the free, beautiful man

• See statue of dying Gaul http//en.wikipedia.org/w
  iki/Dying_Gaul
• Compare Darius (138)
• Hegel free, beautiful man (male) as central
  religion for Greeks

23
Blocked Evolution of Greek Religion

• Homeric religion see Hektors prayer, 142
• Reflects bronze-age warrior aristocracy
• Powerful, arbitrary gods rule over humans?
• Contradicts ideas of
• free beautiful individuality and man as
  center (answer to Riddle of Sphinx)
• reason seeking truth behind appearances
• Further evolution -- to monotheism?
• But the beautiful Homeric poetry blocks further
  development re gods, divine

24
No Religion of Empire

• (Animistic) monotheism of Akhenaton, Zoroaster
• Unites people of radically different religions
• Difficulties of Pantheon method of unification of
  religions
• But Greek city states do not unite
• Homers Pantheon of gods remains in place
• -gt Failure of Alexanders Empire
• No unifying new belief system to unite Greece,
  Persia, Egypt, India

25
Transformation of Greek Religion

• See Athena (149)
• symbol of Athens, the city-statethe polis
• New function of religion Focus on the (free)
  city-state
• gt Worship ourselves!
• Oracle at Delphi Know Yourself
• Philosophy Think for yourself!

26
History of Greek Thought

• 1) Animism (religion of mother Earth)
• Trampled on by Man, with iron plow
• 2) Anthropomorphic polytheism of Homers Iliad
  and Odyssey
• Beauty of expression, psychological accuracy of
  the anthropomorphic qualities of the gods
• Blocks further evolution of religious thought
• gt Failure of Greek empire of Alexander
• 3) Philosophy Know yourself! Think for yourself

27
From Religion to Philosophy

• Socrates Is something good because the gods
  command it, or do the gods command it because it
  is good? (Platos Euthyphro)
• It is good (only) because the Gods say so
• The gods say so because it is good (independent
  of what the gods or anyone might think)

28
Socrates crime

• Socrates/Plato replace focus on religious
  authority with philosophy people can think for
  themselves about what is good.
• Is this impiety to the gods? Atheism?
• Alleged crimes of Socrates he denies the gods
  and corrupts the youth