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Power & the People: Five Lessons from the Birthplace of Democracy
DEMOCRACY WAS BORN IN ATHENS. FROM ITS FOUNDING MYTHS TO ITS GOLDEN AGE AND ITS CHAOTIC DOWNFALL, IT'S RICH WITH LESSONS FOR OUR OWN TIMES.
Why did vital civic engagement and fair debate descend into populism and paralysis? Can we compare the demagogue Cleon to President Trump, the Athenian Empire to modern America, or the stubborn island of Melos to Brexit Britain? How did a second referendum save the Athenians from a bloodthirsty decision? Who were the last defenders of democracy in the changing, globalised world of the 4th Century BC, and how do we unconsciously echo them today?
With verve and acuity, the heroics and the critics of Athenian democracy are brought to bear on today's politics, revealing in all its glories and its flaws the system that still survives to execute the power of the people.
'Timely and fascinating' Robin Lane Fox
Why did vital civic engagement and fair debate descend into populism and paralysis? Can we compare the demagogue Cleon to President Trump, the Athenian Empire to modern America, or the stubborn island of Melos to Brexit Britain? How did a second referendum save the Athenians from a bloodthirsty decision? Who were the last defenders of democracy in the changing, globalised world of the 4th Century BC, and how do we unconsciously echo them today?
With verve and acuity, the heroics and the critics of Athenian democracy are brought to bear on today's politics, revealing in all its glories and its flaws the system that still survives to execute the power of the people.
'Timely and fascinating' Robin Lane Fox
261 pages, Hardcover
Published November 14, 2019
9 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Alev Scott
6 books47 followersAlev Scott (born 1987) is a British-Turkish author, journalist, and cultural commentator. She is best known for her explorations of Turkish identity, Ottoman history, and modern sociopolitical issues in the Mediterranean and Middle East.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 20, 2025
So, this isn’t a retrospect on the „enduring legacy of Athenian democracy.“ This is a Brexit rebuttal. This is a book about how the authors don’t agree with Leavers in the Brexit debate, how they think it’s a bad and poorly considered idea, and how they want Britain to do something different. And they appeal to Thucydides and Pericles and all other manner of Athenian heavyweights to make that point.
This book is ABOUT Brexit. Nearly every choice it makes and all its framing is dictated by the Brexit topic. And that’s fine, except that’s not what I thought this book was, so this book is marketed wrong, and that’s bad.
3 stars—I guess it’s cool that this gal is so interested in doing comparative history with Brexit. Definitely some interesting takes in here, though I don’t know if I’d call any super surprising
This book is ABOUT Brexit. Nearly every choice it makes and all its framing is dictated by the Brexit topic. And that’s fine, except that’s not what I thought this book was, so this book is marketed wrong, and that’s bad.
3 stars—I guess it’s cool that this gal is so interested in doing comparative history with Brexit. Definitely some interesting takes in here, though I don’t know if I’d call any super surprising
February 24, 2020
Almost a 5 because it really got me thinking but just not detailed enough in it's ideas for a renewed democracy.
March 10, 2020
This book aims to show that by looking back to ancient Athenian democracy, which was firmly established following Cleisthenes’ reforms of the Athenian constitution in 508 BC, we can shine a light upon where modern democracy is lacking and even find ways improve it by using practices found in antiquity. Using an array of historical sources, the book identifies five lessons, which it considers seriatim, that we can take away from the birthplace of democracy and apply to modern day - these are, the need to: inspire political responsibility and reduce apathy in the citizenry; oppose demagoguery and nepotism; be capable of self-reflection and self-correcting unwise decisions; expand enfranchisement; and, reject ‘democratic tyranny’, by not imposing democracy on others.
Although I found the book was often filled with engaging postulation and political philosophy, there was a lot I disagreed with and even more that I found entirely frustrating to read. The book touches on many important topics that need to be discussed and debated today in order to preserve democracy as a force for good but, unfortunately, it only touches on them, there is no deeper analysis and, so, after virtually every important topic is mentioned, you come away with only a surface level appreciation for the problem and little by way of proposed solutions. Moreover, at one point they argue in ancient Athens there was a ‘wisdom of the crowd’ inherent to it’s direct democracy and that sortition (their way of randomly choosing representatives) prevented a legislature being dominated by one socio-economic class. However, I found that the authors ended up successfully arguing against these propositions and, in turn, undermined their whole position.
For two people who uphold the value of democracy and the legitimacy of the will of the masses, I was taken aback by their labelling of the election of Trump and the Brexit vote as ‘calamitous crises’ of democracy, the latter was also later referred to as a ‘constitutional disaster’. Their reasoning being that, in the instance of Trump, fewer people voted for him than Hillary and, with Brexit, that there is a general apathy in UK politics and a narrow scope of enfranchisement. Certainly, these are valid criticisms but I can’t help but feel this takes an all too myopic view of modern liberal democracy. This is a shortcoming that I believe is repeated throughout and is invariably coupled with a gross misrepresentation of fact, albeit in a very implicit way, in an attempt to undermine any legitimacy of conservative politics and represent it as anti-democratic and perniciously nationalistic.
Whilst I agree with the authors that we need a more informed and engaged electorate so that democracy can function efficaciously, a greater appreciation for the increasing role (social) media plays in the engagement of society in the political sphere (and the need to ensure there is some accountability when this is used nefariously) and that the re-adoption of political term limits from ancient Athens is absolutely vital, I found this book to be simply too partisan in its anti-conservative bias and I was alarmed by its repeated attempts to infer that conservatism is anti-democratic. This is patently untrue.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the continuous reference to the mythical origins of concepts - such as freedom of speech, the rule of law and the presumption of innocence before a court - which form the edifice of democracy: there is even a mythical story for the birth of democracy itself. The linking of the strength of a democracy and the freedom to openly ridicule it, as shown by the quotations of philosophers and satyrical playwrights from the overlapping Golden Age of Athens and the Age of Pericles, also greatly added to my enjoyment of this book. If you have an interest in ancient Greek (mainly Athenian) history and mythology or a belief in the sanctity of democracy and progressive neoliberalism, then I’m certain you will greatly enjoy this book.
Although I found the book was often filled with engaging postulation and political philosophy, there was a lot I disagreed with and even more that I found entirely frustrating to read. The book touches on many important topics that need to be discussed and debated today in order to preserve democracy as a force for good but, unfortunately, it only touches on them, there is no deeper analysis and, so, after virtually every important topic is mentioned, you come away with only a surface level appreciation for the problem and little by way of proposed solutions. Moreover, at one point they argue in ancient Athens there was a ‘wisdom of the crowd’ inherent to it’s direct democracy and that sortition (their way of randomly choosing representatives) prevented a legislature being dominated by one socio-economic class. However, I found that the authors ended up successfully arguing against these propositions and, in turn, undermined their whole position.
For two people who uphold the value of democracy and the legitimacy of the will of the masses, I was taken aback by their labelling of the election of Trump and the Brexit vote as ‘calamitous crises’ of democracy, the latter was also later referred to as a ‘constitutional disaster’. Their reasoning being that, in the instance of Trump, fewer people voted for him than Hillary and, with Brexit, that there is a general apathy in UK politics and a narrow scope of enfranchisement. Certainly, these are valid criticisms but I can’t help but feel this takes an all too myopic view of modern liberal democracy. This is a shortcoming that I believe is repeated throughout and is invariably coupled with a gross misrepresentation of fact, albeit in a very implicit way, in an attempt to undermine any legitimacy of conservative politics and represent it as anti-democratic and perniciously nationalistic.
Whilst I agree with the authors that we need a more informed and engaged electorate so that democracy can function efficaciously, a greater appreciation for the increasing role (social) media plays in the engagement of society in the political sphere (and the need to ensure there is some accountability when this is used nefariously) and that the re-adoption of political term limits from ancient Athens is absolutely vital, I found this book to be simply too partisan in its anti-conservative bias and I was alarmed by its repeated attempts to infer that conservatism is anti-democratic. This is patently untrue.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the continuous reference to the mythical origins of concepts - such as freedom of speech, the rule of law and the presumption of innocence before a court - which form the edifice of democracy: there is even a mythical story for the birth of democracy itself. The linking of the strength of a democracy and the freedom to openly ridicule it, as shown by the quotations of philosophers and satyrical playwrights from the overlapping Golden Age of Athens and the Age of Pericles, also greatly added to my enjoyment of this book. If you have an interest in ancient Greek (mainly Athenian) history and mythology or a belief in the sanctity of democracy and progressive neoliberalism, then I’m certain you will greatly enjoy this book.
January 3, 2022
Fun, short read on Athenian democracy and it’s lessons and implications in modern time.
The book begins with a fulsome account of what democracy looked like in ancient Athens, including its structure and function. In my mind, this was the strong part of the book. A deep and fascinating account of how democracy worked in its “birthplace.”
The authors then moved through five lessons which democracies ought to apply today. These lessons, despite being grounded in ancient traditions were incredibly relevant and thought provoking. I struggled a bit with this section of the book, as I found the writing unorganized and unnecessarily long.
The final part was a review of several modern states. This part was fascinating, as it drew connections between Ancient Athens and our modern world. It was a nice sample of many different states across the world, and moved away from the all to common US and UK examples people use.
Overall is nice read and thought provoking. Fans of classics and political science will surely enjoy.
The book begins with a fulsome account of what democracy looked like in ancient Athens, including its structure and function. In my mind, this was the strong part of the book. A deep and fascinating account of how democracy worked in its “birthplace.”
The authors then moved through five lessons which democracies ought to apply today. These lessons, despite being grounded in ancient traditions were incredibly relevant and thought provoking. I struggled a bit with this section of the book, as I found the writing unorganized and unnecessarily long.
The final part was a review of several modern states. This part was fascinating, as it drew connections between Ancient Athens and our modern world. It was a nice sample of many different states across the world, and moved away from the all to common US and UK examples people use.
Overall is nice read and thought provoking. Fans of classics and political science will surely enjoy.
November 30, 2022
Full title states it all- Power and the People, (subtitle): The Enduring Legacy of Athenian Democracy. Authors Alec Scott and Andronike Makres have successfully created a book that appeals to an American sensibility- Organized like a team taught college seminar that everyone wants to take, you get a primer on the roots of ‘Demokratia’, Five lessons from Ancient Athens, and Acropolis Redux- Ancient Democracy in Digital age- the authors are approachable authorities that leave you with your own quandaries and what ifs - not only for the US but for the rapidly codependent global community. I am drawn to want to know how to make a more perfect Union, but,also, how to make the world a more peaceful, vibrant, and cooperative place by looking back while reimagining the future with Global examples. Rent time 3 hrs of reading - for quick read overview. Recommend Buy for shelf.
April 18, 2021
'What was in name a democracy was in fact the rule of a principal man.' ~ Thucydides
A really interesting (for an unfamiliar reader) and concise traversal of the phases of Athenian democracy, drawing insightful parallels for our times.
The title includes, in fairness, 'lessons' rather than anything more active but I did wonder whether this would have been improved with some more practical calls to action. In addition, the authors are a little bit too hung up on Brexit - there are so many other interesting examples to bring out these points.
Well worth a read though - probably a 3.5/5.
A really interesting (for an unfamiliar reader) and concise traversal of the phases of Athenian democracy, drawing insightful parallels for our times.
The title includes, in fairness, 'lessons' rather than anything more active but I did wonder whether this would have been improved with some more practical calls to action. In addition, the authors are a little bit too hung up on Brexit - there are so many other interesting examples to bring out these points.
Well worth a read though - probably a 3.5/5.
September 14, 2020
Cruelly underrated by those who have read this book ahead of me; I can only assume that they are supporters of some of the politicians who are criticised by the authors (or even the politicians themselves). There is much that is wrong in politics and there are valuable lessons to be learnt from history as well as significant parallels in modern times.
March 26, 2021
I really liked this! I have a deep interest in contemporary and ancient politics so this gave great examples of parallels and lessons in a way I found very fascinating. I noticed a lot of people’s reviews called for more details, I’m 17 and personally don’t need any as of yet, but this creates a great baseline for debate with good case studies.
January 30, 2020
A strong and gripping start that got bogged down in subjective, 'axe to grind' opinion and academia towards the middle and never fully recovered. Felt like the book's editor gave up reading it themselves half way through.
October 10, 2023
This was a legitimately, interesting book that was marred by the fact that the authors wanted to constantly do a digression about how much they disliked Brexit.
August 11, 2024
I thought this was an excellent, nuanced look not only at the history of democracy, but also at our modern forms of it.
May 23, 2021
There were parts of this book that I wanted to go into deeper detail or provide more supporting evidence. Overall, it was an interesting analysis of democracy, both past and present and how history does truly repeat itself.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews