Lecture Notes

I. Tyranny in the City-States (pages 125–126)

A. Nobles, who owned large farms, seized power from the Greek kings.
B. Farmers had to borrow money from nobles and often could not pay
back the debt. The farmers lost their land and had to work for the
nobles or were sold into slavery.
C. Unhappy farmers demanded changes in the power structure of the
city-states. This unhappiness led to the rise of tyrants, or people who
take power by force and rule with total authority.
D. Tyrants overthrew the nobles during the 600s B.C.
E. Tyrants maintained their popularity by building marketplaces,
temples, and walls.
F. The Greek people eventually tired of the tyrants and created
oligarchies or democracies. An oligarchy is a form of government in
which a few people hold power. A democracy is a form of
government in which all citizens share power.
G. Sparta was an oligarchy; Athens was a democracy.
How are tyrants today different from those in ancient Greece? (Today
the word tyrant means a harsh, oppressive ruler. Today’s tyrants are not
concerned with the common good of their country’s people.)
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