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The Day Democracy Died
THE DAY DEMOCRACY DIEDHow scapegoating and hysteria doomed the world’s first democracy.From the chaos of a sea-battle to the fury of a lynch mob, from personal bravery to political machinations, The Day Democracy Died tells in vivid detail the tragic story of the Arginusae trials and the fall of a cautionary tale of democracy’s demons which is as relevant in the age of instant news and mass media as in the volatile city-states of ancient Greece.October, 406 on the darkening waters of the eastern Aegean, an inexperienced Athenian fleet prepared to face the might of Sparta. With the fortunes of the Peloponnesian War turning inexorably against it, a beleaguered Athens badly needed a victory – and it got one. The Battle of Arginusae, won by raw recruits against a battle-hardened Spartan armada, saved Athens from disaster at a heavy cost in sunken ships. Yet in the confusion following the battle, neither the survivors nor the bodies of the dead were ever recovered.When the fleet returned to an apprehensive, overcrowded Athens, recriminations between its leaders escalated into a vicious, hysterical witch-hunt which convulsed the democracy and swept aside custom, sense, and law. In an extraordinary and chilling sequence of events, six victorious generals were arrested and put on trial for their lives before the Athenian people.On a day of violent passions, before a crowd of thousands, a handful of brave men including the philosopher Socrates struggled to save Athens from itself. As public anger and political tensions were stoked by inflammatory speeches, the principles of democracy would be tested to breaking point. The final verdict of the Trial of the Generals would haunt Athens for ever – and decide the outcome of the war.Anselm Audley holds BA and Master’s degrees in ancient history from Oxford, as well as a degree in planetary science from University College London. He is a published fantasy novelist, the author of Heresy, Inquisition, Crusade, and Vespera.
74 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 12, 2021
Nakon važne pomorske bitke između Atine i Sparte, u kojoj Atinjani odnose iznenađujuću pobedu, oluja sprečava atinske generale da spasu svoje preživele iz mora.
Atina je u to vreme na rubu vojne propasti, pa tako vest o pobedi dočeka sa oduševljenjem. Ipak, kako ljudi počinju da shvataju koliko sinova i braće im se podavilo u moru, počinju da smatraju da je tu krivica generala. Umesto da ih slave, počinje suđenje osmorici, na kom ih osuđuju na pogubljenje. Prema autorovom mišljenju, taj gubitak je nenadoknadiv za atinsku mornaricu, pa je taj dan ujedno i tačka u kojoj prva prava demokratija umire.
Ova epizoda iz Peleponeskog rata ispričana je jednostavno, čita se u jednom popodnevu, tako da je lepo pročitati je ako te interesuje antička istorija. S druge strane, dolazi bez istorijske pozadine i ne zaustavlja se kako bi istoriju i interpretirala. Daje nam autorovo mišljenje o prekretnici i rekao bih solidno oslikava taj jedan događaj.
Atina je u to vreme na rubu vojne propasti, pa tako vest o pobedi dočeka sa oduševljenjem. Ipak, kako ljudi počinju da shvataju koliko sinova i braće im se podavilo u moru, počinju da smatraju da je tu krivica generala. Umesto da ih slave, počinje suđenje osmorici, na kom ih osuđuju na pogubljenje. Prema autorovom mišljenju, taj gubitak je nenadoknadiv za atinsku mornaricu, pa je taj dan ujedno i tačka u kojoj prva prava demokratija umire.
Ova epizoda iz Peleponeskog rata ispričana je jednostavno, čita se u jednom popodnevu, tako da je lepo pročitati je ako te interesuje antička istorija. S druge strane, dolazi bez istorijske pozadine i ne zaustavlja se kako bi istoriju i interpretirala. Daje nam autorovo mišljenje o prekretnici i rekao bih solidno oslikava taj jedan događaj.
June 4, 2017
5 – Stars
This was fascinating account of how the worlds first democracy set itself up to fall. And fall it did. It's a very easy read that draws mainly from two sources written in the aftermath of a battle known as Arginusae between the Greeks and the Spartans.
Athens sent her fleet, guided by her best Generals to meet and rout the Spartans. Two Captains were left to retrieve the survivors whose ships were sunk, as well as the dead. A rare but violent storm appears making it too dangerous to do anything but flee and so the survivors died and the dead remained in the water.
When word reaches Athens that her sons were abandoned the city was filled with outrage. According to their beliefs because they never received any funeral rites their souls could never go on to the afterlife. The Generals cast blame on the storm, but the people wanted heads to roll so they turned their ire on the Captains who then cast the blame on the Generals.
In the end it was the Generals who stood trial and just one voice, as has happened so often in history and in the present, uses his oratory skills to bring the rage of the people to peak levels and instead of using reason and logic, they condemned the Generals to death.
With their military leaders gone, Sparta began a series of attacks that drew Athens back into the war where, essentially leaderless, she was broken, starved, and subjugated.
What's the meaning of this tale? That democracy is a fragile thing that can be lost if we aren't careful.
This was fascinating account of how the worlds first democracy set itself up to fall. And fall it did. It's a very easy read that draws mainly from two sources written in the aftermath of a battle known as Arginusae between the Greeks and the Spartans.
Athens sent her fleet, guided by her best Generals to meet and rout the Spartans. Two Captains were left to retrieve the survivors whose ships were sunk, as well as the dead. A rare but violent storm appears making it too dangerous to do anything but flee and so the survivors died and the dead remained in the water.
When word reaches Athens that her sons were abandoned the city was filled with outrage. According to their beliefs because they never received any funeral rites their souls could never go on to the afterlife. The Generals cast blame on the storm, but the people wanted heads to roll so they turned their ire on the Captains who then cast the blame on the Generals.
In the end it was the Generals who stood trial and just one voice, as has happened so often in history and in the present, uses his oratory skills to bring the rage of the people to peak levels and instead of using reason and logic, they condemned the Generals to death.
With their military leaders gone, Sparta began a series of attacks that drew Athens back into the war where, essentially leaderless, she was broken, starved, and subjugated.
What's the meaning of this tale? That democracy is a fragile thing that can be lost if we aren't careful.
December 3, 2017
A small book that is so brilliant and timely. Between Arginusae and Trump/Brexit are 2422 years but the way a democracy could be self-devouring is astonishingly similar. At least they had a Socrates then to try to temper the madness of the "people" when they are misinformed and manipulated which is more than we can say about our society today. This must be why Plato ranked democracy so low in his Republic, why he feared the rule of the mob, and why he preferred even oligarchies to democracies.
The Generals of Arginusae paid with their lives for the games of the manipulators who misinformed the assembly, we will pay with our wellbeing and the lives of the future generations for the same manipulators reincarnated in today's populist politicians. The Athenians ended up losing the war and barely saving Athens from total destruction, we are yet to understand the extent of our loss after our own democracy went astray.
Audley choses a good history lesson to share with us and he does it well. The book is one of the more readable accounts of (part) of the Peloponnesian war I have come across and the story is compelling and attractive, that is, of course, if you can tell one Greek name from the other without getting magnificently confused.
The Generals of Arginusae paid with their lives for the games of the manipulators who misinformed the assembly, we will pay with our wellbeing and the lives of the future generations for the same manipulators reincarnated in today's populist politicians. The Athenians ended up losing the war and barely saving Athens from total destruction, we are yet to understand the extent of our loss after our own democracy went astray.
Audley choses a good history lesson to share with us and he does it well. The book is one of the more readable accounts of (part) of the Peloponnesian war I have come across and the story is compelling and attractive, that is, of course, if you can tell one Greek name from the other without getting magnificently confused.
November 21, 2017
This is a decent telling of the end of the Peloponnesian War. However, it is not a detailed history. It is a single thesis history based the idea that the trial of the eight generals of the Battle of Arginusae was a pivotal turning point. There is solid coverage of the trial and motivations of those involved, but it is a reconstruction so there is conjecture and light fictionalization involved.
That didn't particularly bother me, but the fact that it was written in a very simplistic style did bother me. Most sentences were very frugal and frankly there isn't a depth of background in the book. I felt that the author cared deeply about the trial, since I was emotionally invested in that portion. However, the rest of the book seemed very sparse and to the point.
Despite the low rating I have given this book, I do not think it is bad if you are interested in ancient history or government. It is a very short book so that can be a good or bad thing. I read it for free through Prime Reading so it wasn't relevant, but I may have been disappointed if I paid the full $3 price.
Bottom line: Short read on interesting material. Not the greatest execution.
That didn't particularly bother me, but the fact that it was written in a very simplistic style did bother me. Most sentences were very frugal and frankly there isn't a depth of background in the book. I felt that the author cared deeply about the trial, since I was emotionally invested in that portion. However, the rest of the book seemed very sparse and to the point.
Despite the low rating I have given this book, I do not think it is bad if you are interested in ancient history or government. It is a very short book so that can be a good or bad thing. I read it for free through Prime Reading so it wasn't relevant, but I may have been disappointed if I paid the full $3 price.
Bottom line: Short read on interesting material. Not the greatest execution.
March 15, 2020
The Process of How Democracy was Lost
This was a great short read about how Athens, leaders of democracy, allowed fear and paranoia to overcome them. The result was the end of democracy. Former allies Sparta, well trained in war, managed to finally defeat the much feared and formerly triumphant naval fleet. The short sided decision to brake their logical due process cost them and their allies dearly. A lesson still relevant today. A concise book, though a bit hard to follow at times because of all the players you have to keep track of. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audio book version. Narration was clear by a beautiful British accent of Julian Elfer.
This was a great short read about how Athens, leaders of democracy, allowed fear and paranoia to overcome them. The result was the end of democracy. Former allies Sparta, well trained in war, managed to finally defeat the much feared and formerly triumphant naval fleet. The short sided decision to brake their logical due process cost them and their allies dearly. A lesson still relevant today. A concise book, though a bit hard to follow at times because of all the players you have to keep track of. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audio book version. Narration was clear by a beautiful British accent of Julian Elfer.
March 22, 2018
I don't often read a book on war but this book is really good.
It pinpoints a very brief period in time and replays some battles involving the great democracy of the day: Athens.
The author does a good job of relaying the dire nature of the time and how the rash, mob rule of a true democracy exacerbated a bad problem into a fatal flaw.
I can't speak to the authenticity of the facts involved but a valid warning to those interested in more power to the people.
It pinpoints a very brief period in time and replays some battles involving the great democracy of the day: Athens.
The author does a good job of relaying the dire nature of the time and how the rash, mob rule of a true democracy exacerbated a bad problem into a fatal flaw.
I can't speak to the authenticity of the facts involved but a valid warning to those interested in more power to the people.
September 4, 2017
An important read
Well written and underztandable. It is important to re.ember how fragile democracy is in the face of popularism. Learning from the Athenian lesson is good in today's political climate.
Well written and underztandable. It is important to re.ember how fragile democracy is in the face of popularism. Learning from the Athenian lesson is good in today's political climate.
September 25, 2017
Interesting
It was a quick read very colorful in it's descriptions and use of language. It made the event come alive for me and made me want to learn more about this time in history.
It was a quick read very colorful in it's descriptions and use of language. It made the event come alive for me and made me want to learn more about this time in history.
March 4, 2018
What could possibly go wrong?
It's hard to explain, as a parent, how quickly bad choices, even popular choices, can have an immediate effect on the future. If I had life to live over, I'd study and teach history. This short book is a good jump-off spot.
It's hard to explain, as a parent, how quickly bad choices, even popular choices, can have an immediate effect on the future. If I had life to live over, I'd study and teach history. This short book is a good jump-off spot.
April 1, 2020
Nice and digestible. Very well told and a great introduction to the Peloponnesian War, far easier to understand than Thucydides! That being said, this book serves as a great way to start engaging with such texts. Good stuff.
January 2, 2023
I love the stories of Ancient Greece - their customs, practices, views, and beliefs. This book explores the historical downfall of one of their most prized ideals. The strains of war sometimes cause men to abandon their beliefs and instead fight to preserve themselves over their society.
January 16, 2023
Another brilliantly worded spotlight placed on where democracy started, how it worked and why to this day it is still not a true representation of how civilization can be abused by the power of a few in the name of the many.
Thoroughly good listen, thank you Anselm Audley, much appreciated. :-)
Thoroughly good listen, thank you Anselm Audley, much appreciated. :-)
December 29, 2017
Great book
Easy read and good for modern democracy to learn from. Awesome book to learn from about the first democracy in
Easy read and good for modern democracy to learn from. Awesome book to learn from about the first democracy in
June 23, 2018
Modern take on ancient history
A very readable take on the fall of Athens. Part was story part logical history it tells how Athens essentially distorted itself from within.
A very readable take on the fall of Athens. Part was story part logical history it tells how Athens essentially distorted itself from within.
September 25, 2018
Super fascinating account, worth a read to anyone interested in politics, history, or criminal justice!
December 26, 2019
An interesting account of the fall of mighty Athens in 406BC
October 5, 2020
A must read to help understand the hubris of world relationships we are currently suffering
October 31, 2021
A deeply gripping and vivid history.
May 26, 2022
What can I say. I like well written and researched historical accounts.
December 20, 2017
I picked this up purely because it was free, and on a topic I'm interested in, but I was pleasantly surprised by how readable it was. Although, the narrative drops you right in media res and assumes you already have a background in the Peloponnesian War...
It's a very good close look at the naval battles of the time, and has some very poignant things to say about mob rule masquerading as democracy. I've added some of the author's other books to my wish list.
It's a very good close look at the naval battles of the time, and has some very poignant things to say about mob rule masquerading as democracy. I've added some of the author's other books to my wish list.
July 3, 2017
Well, that was sobering...
There are times in history where democracy blatantly failed its people, and usually it's because its structure couldn't stop the people from failing themselves. A government ruled by the people can have some serious problems when the people making the decisions are being ruled by their emotions. Emotion can unite us in cause, but it also can be tremendously shortsighted. The French Revolution's Reign of Terror is perhaps the world's best known example of anger overthrowing order, but this book gives an example I'd never really heard discussed before: Athens, home of the world's first democracy, until the aftermath of this day turned a war around and brought them to ruin.
I never knew that they'd fallen victim to the power of mob momentum in this way -- and in the middle of a war at that! Some of the most intelligent men in history had to sit silently while a hotheaded majority pretty much voted with vengeance and assertion of power in their hearts, and threatened their lives if they interfered. The result was a drastic reversal of fortune for the Athenians, who were beginning to accumulate quite the empire and lost it all.
I listened to the audiobook without any previous knowledge of the topic, and I think it did a great job of engaging me in the story, particularly in the middle sections dealing with the letters and events of the Day in question. I could totally see this getting transformed into a TV mini-series at some point. I highly recommend this short read.
There are times in history where democracy blatantly failed its people, and usually it's because its structure couldn't stop the people from failing themselves. A government ruled by the people can have some serious problems when the people making the decisions are being ruled by their emotions. Emotion can unite us in cause, but it also can be tremendously shortsighted. The French Revolution's Reign of Terror is perhaps the world's best known example of anger overthrowing order, but this book gives an example I'd never really heard discussed before: Athens, home of the world's first democracy, until the aftermath of this day turned a war around and brought them to ruin.
I never knew that they'd fallen victim to the power of mob momentum in this way -- and in the middle of a war at that! Some of the most intelligent men in history had to sit silently while a hotheaded majority pretty much voted with vengeance and assertion of power in their hearts, and threatened their lives if they interfered. The result was a drastic reversal of fortune for the Athenians, who were beginning to accumulate quite the empire and lost it all.
I listened to the audiobook without any previous knowledge of the topic, and I think it did a great job of engaging me in the story, particularly in the middle sections dealing with the letters and events of the Day in question. I could totally see this getting transformed into a TV mini-series at some point. I highly recommend this short read.
November 15, 2016
When democracy becomes mob rule
A potent tale for our own times illustrating how an enraged electorate can be manipulated by self serving opportunists looking to advance their own power or cause.
A potent tale for our own times illustrating how an enraged electorate can be manipulated by self serving opportunists looking to advance their own power or cause.
December 6, 2016
Inspirational and thought-provoking. It felt natural and well-connected, providing a clear picture of one of the main reasons behind the fall of Athens and numerous democracies of Ancient Greece.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews