In the sixth century BC, Athens was going through hard times. Decades after Solon's democratic reforms, the polis was ruled by populist tyrant Peisistratus.
Peisistratus wanted to start a hereditary monarchy and left his son Hippias in power. But Hippias, who wasn't as charismatic as his father, was resisted by the Athenians.
Cleisthenes, a member of an aristocratic Athenian family, started a popular rebellion. With the help of the army of the neighboring Sparta, he managed to overthrow Hippias.
But his goal wasn't substituting the tyranny of one family for the tyranny of another. Between 508 and 507 B.C., Cleisthenes pushed a comprehensive package of political reforms that curtailed the power of the aristocracy and empowered the people.
He didn’t call it demokratia (government of the people) as it went into history. For Cleisthenes it was isonomia, equality before the law.
Political reorganization
Before the reforms, Athens was organized into four tribes linked by blood ties. Cleisthenes restructured the society into 10 tribes, each of which had members from all three regions of Attica (city, mountains, coast). The polis was subdivided into about 150 smaller political units called demes.
Cleisthenes wanted Athenians to see themselves as citizens of the polis, not as members of families and regions. Citizens added the name of their deme to their name. The full name of Socrates was: “Socrates, son of Sophroniscus, of the deme Alopece”.
Kleroterion governance
The tyranny of Peisistratus and Hippias was based on corruption and patronage.
Cleisthenes introduced the allotment for appointment to public office. Every year, 50 members of each tribe were selected by a randomization device called kleroterion to join the Council of 500 (boule), which managed government current affairs.
Citizens were expected to participate in the Council at least once in their lifetime. The boule proposed laws to the Assembly, which met every ten days and where every citizen participated.
Cleisthenes also democratized Athenian judicial system. He created the people's courts to handle most disputes. To avoid corruption, trials had between 200 and 5,000 jurors chosen by lot the same day, also by the kleroterion device. The Areopagus (high court) only handled severe cases such as homicides. But most dispute resolution was served on a p2p basis.
A self-imposed exile?
Cleisthenes decentralized power in Athens, empowering citizens over the aristocracy. It is unclear what happened to him after passing the reforms. He simply vanished.
Some historians believe the historical Cleisthenes never existed. He is, they argue, an Athenian myth representing the group of political reformers that built Greek democracy. Others believe he did exist, and that he chose a self-imposed exile.
Cleisthenes catalyzed the fundamental institutions of democracy in the West… and then left the scene. He created a new government technology and gave it to the world. Maybe he knew that staying in the spotlight could lead to a new tyranny. For his deeds, Cleisthenes is the ancient Satoshi Nakamoto.