Athenian Democracy: An Experiment for the Ages

By: The Great Courses

Narrated by: Professor Robert Garland PhD University College London

Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Roughly 2,500 years ago, the Athenian people established a radical democracy in which power derived from the votes of everyday citizens. At a time when local governments ranged from oligarchy to tyranny, the elite classes of Athens gradually ceded power to the inexperienced masses, whose votes served as referendums for everything from taxation to war to welfare. The sequence of events that led to this development is astonishing, and the society that flourished under Athenian democracy is one of the greatest - even if greatly flawed - achievements in world history.

Today, when the foundations of our own democracy are under greater and greater scrutiny, the Athenian experiment in citizen rule offers a powerful object lesson in national politics. How did the Athenian system of democracy work? What were its strengths and weaknesses? And how does it compare to democracy in our world today? Athenian Democracy: An Experiment for the Ages answers these questions and more with 24 captivating lectures. Professor Robert Garland of Colgate University takes us back to ancient Greece and unpacks the development and workings of Athenian democracy. You'll witness the story of history through the lens of Athenian government, going inside the assemblies and courts to find out how democracy worked - and where it came up short.

You may be familiar with the broad strokes of Athenian history, but Professor Garland's unique lens offers a wealth of insights into everything from taxation and welfare to military structure and strategy. Go beyond the traditional "kings and battles" history to gain a sense of what life was like for the people living in the democracy. The heart of Athenian democracy is the "demos", the body of citizens who participated in public assemblies, made speeches, and voted on matters of law. But because only citizens were allowed to vote, Professor Garland also explores Athens through the eyes of women, immigrants, and slaves who could not participate. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2018 The Great Courses (P)2018 The Teaching Company, LLC

A vote for Prof. Garland

Professor Garland is a dedicated classicist and will not entertain any challenge to Athens’ pre-eminence as the birthplace of democracy. Drawing upon a variety of ancient sources, he offers a detailed, sometimes lyrical analysis of the world’s first experiment in government by the people. What I enjoyed most were his frequent comparisons between classical democracy and the modern variety practiced in the United States. Professor Garland is not shy about sharing his opinions, and he is often wryly contemptuous of America’s 45th president. According to Professor Garland, the peril which democracy now faces makes this lecture series especially urgent and necessary.

Second course from this excellent professor

I listened to the Audible audio version of this course and it was very good – – but I’m sure the streaming video version would’ve been better with pictures and charts maps etc. I’ve listened to two other courses on similar subjects at the great teaching course opus and this is a very good course. professor Garland is excellent teacher with good content and enthusiasm. I thought much of the course was exceptional and I especially liked the current application. I don’t think it was over the top or too much— in fact I think as the world moves forward— by understanding democracy as it was utilized in Athens as well as since then is very helpful in giving some context to the current political and social world we live in. I found the topics very practical and also informative. I would strongly recommend this course.

Excellent!

Professor Garland does it again! An absolutely wonderful course! Educational and Interesting! Truly hope he puts more courses together! Thank you for a great trip through history!

Fake Neutrality

The professor wisely says in the beginning if he does not believe it’s his job to push a political position. By minute six, he’s already made two cracks about Trump, the second being that the 2016 election would shake Athenian’s belief in the capability of regular people to be involved in government. Check, please.

For anyone who loves Greek history

Loved this course and like how Robert gives examples to dumb it down for us to really understand what it was like and how similar we are to the Athenians. Also really like the dramatic music in the beginning of each lecture.

Amazing Love it

Athens is something I always think about when reflecting about the current state of the World. It was amazing to have the opportunity to listen to someone so intelligent and knowledgeable about Athens. Definitely would listen to this series more than once. 👏

A Truly Great Exposition of Athenian Democracy

Dr. Garland has done a superb job of presenting Athenian democracy--with all its greatness and weakness. Moreover, Dr. Garland makes his presentations relevant to our current world by contrasting Athenian democracy, and democracy over the ages, to up-to-date events in contemporaneous democracy. --J.M.A.

A plethora of learning and delight... and a warning

Thank you so much Professor Garland for this enlightening course. I found that I really did not know as much about the Athenian experiment in democracy as I had thought. It was really inspiring complex, and dangerous, and one cannot help but compare it to our present system of government. The Athenians proved that a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” is possible, but that it is not perfect, as we are not perfect.

anarchy > democracy

so many of the oligarchs, some of the tyrants, and without a doubt the anarchistic years of Athens were supperior to its democracy in nearly every possible measure.. good to know..

Superb lecture by an impassioned educator

I went into this lecture as someone with a decent degree of knowledge about Athenian democracy, and left reinvigorated and eager to learn even more. I chalk much of this up to Professor Garland himself, whose absolute enthusiasm, warmth, generosity of spirit, and keenness of mind remains on display for every instant of every lecture. It's wholly clear that he's a lifelong educator - and a born teacher, at that - able to frame information and distill facts that in the hands of another might come across as obscure and dull. For newcomers to the topic, there isn't a better person to guide you.

As for the information itself, I've always felt that it's completely critical to be educated about the faults, foibles, and victories of democratic institutions throughout history - to not just know our collective past, but guide wise choices in the present. This course provides all necessary information to do exactly this and more, and will leave listeners aware and better equipped to engage with democratic institutions in our own lives. I fully and wholeheartedly recommend this course to anyone.

Outstanding

This is an outstanding series of lectures that utterly gripped me from start to finish. I completed a classics degree last year, but there was still so much to learn from this. In fact, it is so good that I immediately started it again for a second time upon completion. Delivery is beautiful. It is thoughtful, humorous and compelling. My next step will be to look for further lectures by this Professor. A superb work. Bravo.

A great starting point

I disagreed with some of his views and at times his whole approach to history, but a good and comprehensive lecture none the less.

Another Gem from Professor Garland

I am a big fan of Robert Garland's courses. This is not the best of his courses (I would nominate Daily Life in the Ancient World there) but it is, as usual, a thoughtful, passionate, and entertaining excursion into Ancient Greek history.

Professor Garland at his most passionate.

Simply nothing better than a lecturer / narrator who knows and, more importantly, loves his subject.

Great overview

A very good overview of the workings of Athenian democracy. Falls a bit flat when trying to link it up with modern day american politics. How Trump and Alcibiedes are in anyway reasonably comparable is beyond me. 5 star lecture all the same. I'm definitely looking for more of his works on the great courses.

Fab

really good to go along with the 3 classics from Thucydides, Herodotus and Xenophon. only issue I had was it started chronology with main figures but disregarded this during the penticonter years c. 479-431 B.C. which is the dead space in the knowledge for me so just the way it progressed brought it away form perfect, overall outstandingly good.

Fantastic

Clear, informative , erudite and articulate. I can’t express how much I have enjoyed this and how much it has whetted my appetite for more! The lecturer is brilliant. Thank you