Did you know elections only played a small role in Athenian democracy? Take a look at the fascinating origins of Athenian direct democracy in ancient Greece, and compare their political structures to our understanding of representative democracy today.

Concepts

athens, democracy, representative democracy, american democracy, democratic values, direct democracy, ancient greece

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• A core theme of this video is the potential problems that rest with different types of democracy. Consider having your pupils research various governments in history that embodied some form of democratic rule, and evaluate their efficacy

Pros

• Graphics and images really help to illustrate concepts
• Publisher offers a variety of additional options, such as a customizable online assessment or participation in a forum discussion
• Exposes the weaknesses of Athenian democracy, such as its exclusion of many different types of people from government

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.5 SL.7.5 SL.8.5 SL.9-10.5 SL.11-12.5 RH.6-8.1 RH.6-8.7 RH.9-10.1 RH.9-10.7