Name _________________________________________ Core __________________ Date ________________________
Unit 6 Greek Political Systems Study Guide
Key Points:
1. Many Greek city-states began as monarchies. Some became aristocracies or oligarchies. This happened when the
aristocrats close to the king overthrew the monarch and took power.
2. When commoners became unhappy with oligarchies, they supported powerful military men who overthrew the
oligarchies. These men set themselves up as tyrants. Some tyrannies were very popular and prosperous. Other
tyrants abused their power and became unpopular.
3. Athenians expanded the access common people had to government in gradual steps. They did this until all
Athenian citizens could take part in government.
4. In Athens, all citizens had a voice and a vote in the making of laws. Citizens also served on juries. They could run
for public office.
5. Athenian democracy was a direct democracy. This meant that all citizens had a direct role in making laws and
running the government.
6. Athens was the first democracy. It was one of the inspirations for the founders of the U.S. government more than
2,000 years later.
7. Athens built its economy on trade. Because it had wealth from trade, Athens could become a culturally rich citystate. Athenian boys were trained to become thinkers as well as craftsmen, artists, or businesspeople.
8. Sparta developed as a farming and military city-state. Spartan citizens trained as warriors to defend their city-state
from attacks and uprisings. Spartan boys were trained from birth to become warriors.
Identify and explain the significance of the following terms:
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Monarchy- _________________________________________________________________________________
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Oligarchy- _________________________________________________________________________________
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Tyranny- __________________________________________________________________________________
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Democracy- ________________________________________________________________________________
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Direct Democracy- __________________________________________________________________________
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Representative Democracy- ___________________________________________________________________
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Reading Guide:
1. Who ruled the first city-states? __________________________________________________________________
2. How did Greek democracy work? _______________________________________________________________
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3. What made Athens powerful? What was daily life like in Athens? ______________________________________
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4. How were the governments of Athens and Sparta different? ___________________________________________
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5. What was daily life like in ancient Sparta? _________________________________________________________
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Multiple Choice:
1. Which of the following is closest to the Athenian form of
3. Why did the males of Sparta have so much time to spend
democracy?
on military training?
A. New England town meeting
A. Their land was too poor to farm
B. the House of Representatives
B. They trained only in winter after the crops were
C. Virginia House of Burgesses
harvested.
D. the Electoral College
C. They relied on enslaved workers to carry out
2. How did Athenians determine if a man should be exiled
farming tasks.
from Greece as a punishment for a crime?
D. They relied on girls to do all the farming chores.
A. The man could choose between death and exile
4. Why did girls in Sparta take part in physical education?
if he murdered another man.
A. They had to be ready to defend the city.
B. Only the women and children of Athens were
B. They needed to be fit to be good mothers.
allowed to banish the criminals of the city. They
C. They took part in the Greek Olympic games.
did so by casting a vote.
D. They were sometimes recruited into the army.
C. Exile was never a form of punishment in
5. Which of the following provides the best evidence that
Greece.
the women of Sparta had more power than women in most
D. At first it was an oral vote cast by the citizens of
Greek city-states?
Athens. Later black and white beans were used to
A. They owned large amounts of land.
count votes.
B. They were able to wrestle and throw the javelin.
C. They trained their sons to be brave in battle.
D. They ate healthy foods.
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Notes:
Name _____________________________________________ Core _________________ Date __________________________
Vocabulary Organizer
Key Term
Illustrate
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Use in a sentence
Key Term
Illustrate
Define
Use in a sentence
Key Term
Illustrate
Define
Use in a sentence