Laws of Solon - the birth of democracy in Ancient Athens

Tyranny, as a style of government, in Ancient Greece lasted for a relatively short time. But the damage brought a lot. It significantly weakened economic mechanisms and curtailed the social freedoms of the Athenians. To cope with the crisis, radical measures were needed. Solon's laws were precisely the lever that returned the main city of Greece to the path of economic prosperity.

Prehistory

Agriculture was one of the strong productive forces of ancient Attica. But never it was in such a difficult situation, as in the 7th century. BC. The main cause of the crisis was usury.

According to the laws of the Dragon, the land was not alienated property, but the peasants could surrender themselves to slavery for some amount of money. If the debtors did not pay their debts on time, they became owners of creditors and had to give them a sixth of the crop. Such debtors were called pelats or hectimores. Rapid impoverishment put the economy of Athens in a catastrophic position.

short biography

Solon was a descendant of a rich landowning family. By the time of his election to the People's Assembly, he had already established himself as a poet and military leader. The beginning of his popularity he laid, having won from the megars about. Salamis. His elegies, in which courage, nobility, and unselfishness were glorified, inspired the Athenians to exploit. Solon was the enemy of excess and injustice - it is attributed to him the principle of "all in moderation." Although the man's desire for wealth and wealth he found normal and noble - in one of his early elegies Solon asked the muses to give him material prosperity. But at the same time the poet admitted that to achieve such well-being can only be honest, and the wealth obtained by deception and dishonest acts is a sin that is cruelly punished by Zeus.

Political activity

In 594, Solon was invited to the post of archon. The purpose of this election was a series of economic and social transformations that could lead the country out of a protracted crisis. According to the laws of ancient Athens, for such profound changes, the consent of representatives of the people's congress was required - it was the legislative bodies of the ancient city-state. The Archon saw the future of Greece and his native Athens without tyranny, but insisted on rigid adherence to the course of changes that would reset the social and economic sphere of life. These changes were supposed to restart the power and relations in the country. The essence of these changes were the laws of Solon.

Summary of reforms

The most necessary condition for transformation, according to Solon, was the abolition of debt slavery. The whole process was named seysakhteya - exemption from debts. The essence of the necessary preliminary cases was as follows:

• All the slaves, who became such under the terms of self-pawn, were given freedom;
• Land, which was the subject of a pledge, was returned to the owners;
• All debt obligations are canceled;
• The measurement system has been reformed - all scales and measures in Athens are reduced to a single standard.

This process provoked outrage in all layers of Athenian society. The poor were angry that it was not possible to divide the whole land of the rich, and the wealthy landowners were indignant over the loss of much of the property. However, the inhabitants of Athens had no other choice - and they decided to continue to enforce the laws of Solon.

Social transformations

The Athenian society was divided into four categories. The first of these, the most notable, was the eupatrides - the wealthy hereditary aristocrats of Athens. The second part consisted of horsemen, less aristocratic aristocrats. In the third there were Zevgits - artisans and merchants, and the fourth, the most extensive, were poor, but free people of Athens feta - workers and peasants. Solon's laws mixed these layers and presented to society his vision of social differences. From now on, only rich people had the right to enter into the knowledge - eupatridians should have had at least 500 grain yields per year, riders were given a quota of 300 grain measures, and Zevgis could be considered as such, gathering 200 grain measures per year. All the rest, regardless of birth, were considered free residents - Fet. So Solon's laws laid the foundations of democracy in Athens, and henceforth birth in a noble family was no longer considered a privilege unless it was backed by the necessary capital. In addition, there was a real opportunity to get out of your circle due to the passage of property qualifications.

Selective system

The reforms of Solon made possible the next step towards a democratic society. From now on, the people's congregation (Areopagus) could consist of representatives of all strata of the population. So for the first time, the poor could solve some pressing issues at the meeting and influence the government. In addition, each member of the people's congress could be chosen by the judge. True, this post did not promise either great benefits or great influence - the most pressing issues were usually resolved on other councils. Along with the traditional Areopag, another council, the Boulle, or the Council of 400, began to act. These legislatures included representatives of all four estates of ancient Athens-100 people each. The new laws of Solon in Athens provided the Bula with the right to preliminary consideration of all proposals coming to the Areopagus. Thus, it was the Council of 400 who determined the need for certain transformations in the state, and the Areopagus merely asserted such a decision by a majority vote. In the Areopagus jurisdiction, there was supervision of compliance with the law and protection of the adopted regulations.

Changes in legislation

Solon was not afraid to make important changes in the legislative field of Athens. He abolished most of the legal norms established by previous tyrants, and legalized a new set of rules that changed attitudes in the judicial and civil spheres. Unchanged, he left only the criminal law - the brutal laws of the Dragon, concerning criminal penalties for murder, adultery and theft, Solon found sufficient.

Helium

As a concession to demos, Solon decided to create new judicial organs, which were called Helii. Representatives of all classes of Athenian society were present in the new court. This created a completely new legal order, radically different from all the previous ones. Judicial bodies for the first time in history began to work for all free people of the country. People could count on free circulation to the court without intermediaries, act as a witness or be the defendant's lawyers. In addition, they were given the right to pursue their own enemies - earlier this was only allowed to representatives of the nobility. On the other hand, the new judicial bodies could deprive any person of the citizenship of Athens. This could happen to those who did not have a solid civic position during the conflict and internecine strife. People deprived of citizenship were outlawed.

The Further Life of Solon

According to legend, Solon's laws were written on large wooden boards (kirbahs). They were placed on a large shield that turned around its axis. Over the past centuries, the tree has crumbled to dust, so it is still unclear which of the laws were actually instituted by Solon, and which were only attributed to him. By his laws Solon appointed a ten-year mandatory period for execution and left Athens. According to some information, the legislator was afraid of the anger of angry compatriots - he had made a compromise, not justifying the hopes of neither the rich nor the poor. In one of his elegies he says that the poor hoped for a complete redistribution of the land, and the rich hoped for repayment of all debts. In the writings of Plutarch, there is one remark attributed to Solon: "It is difficult to make everyone happy with great things."

Under the pretext of expanding trade ties, Solon visited Egypt, Lydia and Cyprus. To this day, fragments of Solon's impressions have come from visiting the palaces of his contemporary - the legendary Creus. But political tension forced him to return to Athens. Several political parties started the struggle for power, and Solon tried to resist the establishment of tyranny. In the end, the power in the state was seized by the tyrant Pisistrat. After the victory of his political opponent, Solon remained in Athens, but did not live long. His ashes were scattered on about. Salamis.

Importance of laws

The main thing in the laws of Solon is a successful attempt to equalize the rights of all citizens, throwing aside questions of origin and the tribal hierarchy. The decisive actions of this politician formed a new political and social order in the state. New criteria for social relations have provided an opportunity for the formation of a new political elite - without reference to the old generic traditions. Despite a good start, Solon's laws could not completely eradicate old prejudices. Only 90 years after Solon's reforms, a new political figure, Klisfen, continued the democratic beginnings of his predecessor. Cleisthenes enjoyed wide support for the demos, so he was able to finally undermine the rule of aristocrats and establish power in the state on new, democratic principles.