Was the Athenian democracy ochlocratic?
| Project/Area Number |
12610407
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
History of Europe and America
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| Research Institution | Nagasaki University |
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Principal Investigator |
HORII Ken-ichi Nagasaki University, Education, Assistant Professor, 教育学部, 助教授 (20190233)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2000 – 2002
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2002)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2001: ¥800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000)
Fiscal Year 2000: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
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| Keywords | democracy / Athens / history / Ancient Greece / 近代 |
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| Research Abstract |
J. Gillies' The History of Ancient Greece and W. Mitford's History of Greece in 18 and 19 centuries evidently describe a politician Cleon as a demagogue and the Athenian democracy an ochlocracy. The federalists' papers in the American founding era also describe the Athenian democracy as a government by the emotional mass. On the other hand, though Gillies and Mitford read Thucydidean history as a major source, it doesn't seem to describe Cleon as the very demagogue. As we know, Cleon was attacked by Aristophanes' comedies which almost all modern historians read. I think, therefore, that the image of Cleon the demagogue in the books of Gillies and Mitford was made by influential comedies of Aristophanes.
The comedies of Aristophanes, however, seem to be hard to be viewed as showing who Cleon, unlike Socrates who Platon defended, really was. I think that historians should see the real image of Cleon not in his comedies but in Thucydidean history and Gillies and Mitford did not do so. I think, therefore, that the image of Cleon the demagogue in the books of Gillies and Mitford is misleading.
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Report
(4 results)
Research Products
(7 results)
