Classical Greek Oligarchy

A Political History

Bibliographic Data

ID19942187
AuthorsMatthew Simonton (corresponding author)
Year2017
Pages376
Publication date2017-12-31
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueClassical Greek Oligarchy (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherPrinceton University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1515/9781400885145
OpenAlexW2626231421
Open LibraryOL29338451M
ISBN9781400885145
LanguageEN
Citations received26

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

Democracy · Oligarchy · Political science · Politics · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Law · Religion and Society Interactions · ancient · Greece · History & Theory · Political Ideologies · politics and government

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