Classical Greek Oligarchy

Classical Greek Oligarchy
Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Total Pages : 376
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780691192055
ISBN-13 : 0691192057
Rating : 4/5 (55 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Classical Greek Oligarchy by : Matthew Simonton

Download or read book Classical Greek Oligarchy written by Matthew Simonton and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-26 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Classical Greek Oligarchy thoroughly reassesses an important but neglected form of ancient Greek government, the "rule of the few." Matthew Simonton challenges scholarly orthodoxy by showing that oligarchy was not the default mode of politics from time immemorial, but instead emerged alongside, and in reaction to, democracy. He establishes for the first time how oligarchies maintained power in the face of potential citizen resistance. The book argues that oligarchs designed distinctive political institutions—such as intra-oligarchic power sharing, targeted repression, and rewards for informants—to prevent collective action among the majority population while sustaining cooperation within their own ranks. To clarify the workings of oligarchic institutions, Simonton draws on recent social science research on authoritarianism. Like modern authoritarian regimes, ancient Greek oligarchies had to balance coercion with co-optation in order to keep their subjects disorganized and powerless. The book investigates topics such as control of public space, the manipulation of information, and the establishment of patron-client relations, frequently citing parallels with contemporary nondemocratic regimes. Simonton also traces changes over time in antiquity, revealing the processes through which oligarchy lost the ideological battle with democracy for legitimacy. Classical Greek Oligarchy represents a major new development in the study of ancient politics. It fills a longstanding gap in our knowledge of nondemocratic government while greatly improving our understanding of forms of power that continue to affect us today.


Classical Greek Oligarchy Related Books

Classical Greek Oligarchy
Language: en
Pages: 376
Authors: Matthew Simonton
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-03-26 - Publisher: Princeton University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Classical Greek Oligarchy thoroughly reassesses an important but neglected form of ancient Greek government, the "rule of the few." Matthew Simonton challenges
Oligarchia
Language: en
Pages: 100
Authors: Martin Ostwald
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2000 - Publisher: Franz Steiner Verlag

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Intended as an introduction to the definition of oligarchy, this concise study guides the reader through the ideologies of Plato and Aristotle and compares theo
On Oligarchy
Language: en
Pages: 257
Authors: David Edward Tabachnick
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-01-01 - Publisher: University of Toronto Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Economic power is becoming increasingly concentrated in the hands of the few, even as democratic movements worldwide allow for political power to be dispersed
Polis and Revolution
Language: en
Pages: 385
Authors: Julia L. Shear
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-04-21 - Publisher: Cambridge University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book explores how democracy in Athens was recreated and the city rebuilt following the oligarchic revolutions of the fifth century BC.
A Companion to Ancient Greek Government
Language: en
Pages: 535
Authors: Hans Beck
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-01-22 - Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This comprehensive volume details the variety of constitutions and types of governing bodies in the ancient Greek world. A collection of original scholarship on