HIST 103 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Civilization Iv
Document Summary
A major goal of cleisthenes " reforms was to weaken the power of traditional localities and regions that had laid the foundation for aristocratic dominance. He has made attica"s demes, cities, and townships, the basic units of political life. Cleisthenes enrolled all the demes people in ten new tribes, each comprising inhabitants in the rural districts of attica, the coastal areas, and. Thus the ten tribes represented a cross-section of the population and embodied all of attica, a step which gave local areas a fundamental role in the political structure. Each of the ten tribes picked fifty members by lot each year for a new five. Which was responsible for conducting both international and financial affairs, and arranged the business that the council would conduct. This assembly of all male citizens had ultimate authority to pass laws after free and open debate. Thus the reforms of cleisthenes strengthened the central role of citizens " assembly within the athenian political system.
