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A good weblog post by a classical studies and history student, "Athenian Democracy Wasn’t Really That Great": * https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/01/30/at

• nottorp 6y ago
  Looks to me like at least 90% of the downsides he's mentioning are shared by every state of the time. And some are plain wrong. For example he complains that Athenian trials by jury weren't as fair as modern American trials by jury, while conveniently forgetting to mention that few other states even had trials by jury.
  • DaedPsyker 6y ago
    I have to agree, it's a very strange reasoning. They are comparing the system to today which is a ridiculous comparison, it was 2500 years ago! The system was still better than its rival Sparta and far better than the 30 tyrants Sparta installed in Athens after the war. The author seems to confuse the aspirational ideal with Athens as its stand in embodiment with actual desire to implement the details of the Athenian state. No one wants to remake Athens as it was, its a figurehead for nebulaus concepts.