Tyranny, as a style of governing the state, in ancient Greece did not exist for long. But the damage brought considerable. It significantly weakened economic mechanisms and curtailed the social freedoms of the Athenians. To cope with the crisis, radical measures were needed. The laws of Solon were precisely the lever that returned the main city of Greece to the path of economic prosperity.
Background
Agriculture was one of the strong productive forces of ancient Attica. But it was never in such a difficult situation as in the 7th century. BC. The main cause of the crisis was usury.
According to the laws of Dragon, the land was not an alienable property, but the peasants could give themselves into slavery for a certain amount of money. If the debtors did not pay the debts on time, they became the owners of the creditors and had to give them a sixth of the crop. Such debtors were called pelates or hectemors. The rapid impoverishment has put the economy of Athens in a catastrophic situation.
short biography
Solon came from a wealthy landowning family.
By the time he was elected to the popular assembly, he had already established himself as a poet and military leader. He laid the foundation for his popularity by conquering Fr. Salamis. His elegy, in which courage, nobility, and selflessness were glorified, inspired the Athenians for their deeds. Solon was an enemy of excessiveness and injustice - the principle of "everything in moderation" is attributed to him. Although he found the person's desire for wealth and wealth normal and noble - in one of his early elegy Solon asked the muses to give him material well-being. But at the same time, the poet admitted that such prosperity can only be achieved in an honest way, and wealth obtained through deception and dishonest acts is a sin that is severely punished by Zeus.
Political activity
In 594, Solon was invited to the post of archon. The purpose of this election was a series of economic and social transformations that could lead the country out of a protracted crisis. According to the laws of ancient Athens, for such profound changes, the consent of the representatives of the national assembly was required - it was it that represented the legislative bodies of the ancient city-state. The archon saw the future of Greece and his native Athens without tyranny, but at the same time he insisted on strictly following the course of changes that would reset the social and economic sphere of life. These changes were supposed to reset the power and relations in the country. The essence of these changes was represented by the laws of Solon.
Summary of Reforms
The most necessary condition for the transformation, according to Solon, was the abolition of debt slavery. The whole process was called seysakhteyya - debt relief. The essence of the necessary preliminary cases was as follows:
- all slaves who became such under the conditions of self-mortgage, received freedom;
- lands that became the subject of a pledge are returned to the owners;
- all debt obligations are canceled;
- the measurement system has been reformed - all scales and measures in Athens are brought to a single standard.
This process has caused outrage in all sectors of Athenian society. The poor were angry that they could not divide the whole land of the rich, and the wealthy landowners were indignant because of the loss of most of the property. However, the inhabitants of Athens had no other choice - and they decided to continue to enforce the laws of Solon.
Social transformations
Athenian society was divided into four categories. The first of them, the most notable, was the Eupatrides - the wealthy hereditary aristocrats of Athens. The second part was made by horsemen, less generous aristocrats. In the third were zevgits - artisans and merchants, and the fourth, the most extensive, were the poor, but free people of Athens feta - workers and peasants. The laws of Solon mixed these layers and presented to society their vision of social differences. From now on, only rich people had the right to enter the nobility - eupatrides had to have an income of at least 500 grain measures per year, a quota of 300 grain measures was established for riders, and zevgits could be considered such, collecting 200 grain measures per year. All the rest, regardless of birth, were considered free residents - feta. So the laws of Solon laid the foundations of democracy in Athens, and henceforth birth in a noble family was no longer considered a privilege, if this was not supported by the necessary capital. In addition, there was a real opportunity to get out of your circle through the passage of property qualifications.
Elective system
Reforms of Solon made the next step possible for a democratic society. From now on, the national assembly (Areopagus) could consist of representatives of all segments of the population. So for the first time the poor could solve some pressing issues at the meeting and influence the government. In addition, each member of the national assembly could be elected a judge. True, this position did not promise either great benefits or great influence - the most pressing issues were usually resolved at other councils. Along with the traditional Areopagus, another council, the Boule, or Council 400, began to operate. These legislative bodies included representatives of all four classes of ancient Athens - 100 people each. The new laws of Solon in Athens provided the bule with the right to a preliminary review of all proposals received in the Areopagus. Thus, it was the 400 council that determined the need for certain transformations in the state, and the Areopagus only approved such a decision by a majority of votes. The Areopagus was responsible for overseeing compliance with the law and protecting the adopted provisions.
Legislative changes
Solon was not afraid to make important changes in the legislative field of Athens. He abolished most of the legal norms established by previous tyrants, and legitimized a new set of rules that changed relations in the judicial and civil spheres. Only criminal law remained unchanged - the draconian laws of Dracon regarding criminal penalties for murder, adultery and theft, Solon found sufficient.
Heliea
As a concession to the demos, Solon decided to create new judicial oran, called Heliei. In the new court there were representatives of all classes of Athenian society. This created a completely new rule of law, radically different from all previous ones. For the first time in history, judicial authorities began to work for all the free people of the country. People could count on free recourse to court without intermediaries, act as a witness, or be the defendant's lawyers. In addition, they were given the right to pursue their own enemies - previously this was only allowed to representatives of the nobility. On the other hand, the new judiciary could deprive any person of Athens citizenship. This could happen to those who did not have a solid citizenship during the time of unrest and civil strife. People deprived of citizenship were outlawed.
Further life of Solon
According to legend, the laws of Solon were written on large wooden boards (kirbahs). They were placed on a large shield, which rotated around its axis. Over the past centuries, the tree has crumbled to dust, so it is still unclear which of the laws were really instituted by Solon, and which were only attributed to him. Solon appointed a ten-year mandatory deadline for his laws and left Athens. According to some reports, the legislator was afraid of the anger of angry compatriots - after all, he made a compromise, not meeting the expectations of either the rich or the poor. In one of his elegy, he says that the poor hoped for a complete redistribution of land, and the rich hoped for repayment of all debt. In the writings of Plutarch there is one remark attributed to Solon: "It is difficult to make everyone happy in great deeds."
Under the pretext of expanding trade relations, Solon visited Egypt, Lydia and Cyprus. Excerpts from Solon’s impressions from visiting the palaces of his contemporary, the legendary Croesus, have survived to this day. But political tension forced him to return to Athens. Several political parties began the struggle for power, and Solon tried to resist the establishment of tyranny. In the end, the tyrant Pisistratus seized power in the state. After the victory of his political adversary, Solon remained in Athens, but did not live long. His ashes were scattered on about. Salamis.
The meaning of laws
The main thing in the laws of Solon is a successful attempt to equalize the rights of all citizens, casting aside the questions of origin and the clan hierarchy. The decisive actions of this politician formed a new political and social structure in the state. The new criteria of social relations made it possible to form a new political elite - without reference to the old clan traditions. Despite a good start, Solon's laws could not completely eradicate old prejudices. Only 90 years after Solonov’s reforms did the new politician, Klisfen, continue the democratic endeavors of his predecessor. Klisfen enjoyed the broad support of the demos, so he was able to completely undermine the dominance of aristocrats and establish power in the state on new, democratic principles.