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Pericles Of Athens And The Birth Of Democracy

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A Companion to the Peloponnesian War Series & A History of Athens
The First Citizen
Getting to know Pericles
The Churchill of the Ancient World
A worthy book

Pericles Of Athens And The Birth Of Democracy
Donald Kagan
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Peloponnesian War
The Fall of the Athenian Empire
The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition (Cornell Paperbacks)
The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War (Cornell Paperbacks)
The Archidamian War (Cornell Paperbacks)

ASIN: 0684863952

Book Description

"Kagan, faithful to his lifelong fascination with Pericles . . . gives us an accessible and invaluable account of his life and deeds".--Allan Bloom, author of "The Closing of the American Mind".

Customer Reviews:

A Companion to the Peloponnesian War Series & A History of Athens.......2006-11-14

Donald Kagan's knowledge of the subject is likely unequaled. Having essentially written the premier history of the war Pericles hoped to avoid, The Peloponnesian War, Kagan was in the unique position to write a similarly authoritative biography of this classic statesman. And that he has.

The book is well-written, thoroughly readable, and tells the story of Pericles better than its predecessors. That said, those who've read Kagan's four volume series on the Peloponnesian War will find that most of the text in this book has already been covered. This is not to say that new insights and clever evaluations are not to be found, for they are, but only that the author is, unfortunately, a victim of his own superb and exhaustive account of Pericles' life in prior works.

Also note: this is an excellent history of the political framework of early Athens. If you require an introduction to Athens' early democratic structure, including a wonderful description of the Assembly (a fusion of legislative and judicial branches into an open forum), this is the book.

Those who are new to the author and/or the subject will not encounter an issue with the text and, indeed, could not ask for a better biography.

The First Citizen.......2006-07-19

Kagan's Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy is an extremely well-written book on a remarkable statesman who lived nearly twenty-five hundred years ago. The historian Thucydides called him Athens's `first citizen'. During his thirty years of near dominance as that city-state's leader, Athens enjoyed great wealth, a democratic form of government, and gloried in the arts and building projects that reflected that city's heightened status. Kagan's defense of Pericles (though not without criticisms) and the form of government he helped implement are admirably and ably argued.

Kagan's sources are fairly limited, which is to be expected. He relies mostly on the famed account of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, the later writings of Plutarch, and the works of some of the famed literary figures of the day. Perhaps the greatest surviving symbol of Pericles's influence in Athens is the Parthenon. Democracy in Athens began under Cleisthenes, as Kagan mentions, but Pericles advanced this system by opening political participation and voting to more of that city's citizens. He also promoted a paying system for public service. It is tempting to try to compare our political system with the system in Athens (though quite different) and say that ours is more inclusive, which though true technically doesn't mean that the political system in Athens is any less deserving of a certain amount of admiration.

Athens was also an empire, though Pericles could persuasively argue its merits despite the seeming contradictions. Athens's wealth and prestige did not come without costs. Sparta and various other Greek people were suspicious and resentful of the growing influence of Athens. The Spartans, as Kagan claimed later in the book as the Peloponnesian War began, would claim the mantle of liberators of the Greeks. Pericles's policies were seemingly always guided by an intelligent, rational way of thinking. He tried to pursue the moderate course between the extremes, as Kagan states. This seems to become most evident in the opening scenes in the war against Sparta.

I find that moderation to be very admirable, even if his policies could be wrong on occasion, as the Peloponnesian War would prove. He was perhaps too stubborn in adhering to certain strategies, but he did what he believed was right for Athens. His ability to influence his fellow citizens was indeed quite remarkable. But even Pericles had enemies and for a while even he was cast out of office when things weren't going well for Athens in the early stages of the conflict. Pericles died in 429 BC, only two and a half years into the war that would last twenty-seven years. His military strategy had not worked, though very clearly thought out and believed by its architect. But one thing was sure, after his death, Athens would sorely lack that high-minded and able leadership that he represented so well.

This is the second book by Kagan I've read and he doesn't disappoint. He makes a strong case for Pericles and Athenian Democracy, though he can be critical, especially of Pericles's strategy for fighting and winning the war with Sparta. Then again, what if Pericles had lived longer? Makes for a great what if, but then again maybe it wouldn't have changed the ultimate outcome of the war. A fascinating period, but a tragic one.

Getting to know Pericles.......2005-05-11

Donald Kagan of Yale university is perhaps the foremost authority on Periclean Athens in the world today. As such, it is only natural that he should write a treatise on the life of the great man known as Pericles.

All of the major facets of Pericles' life are brought together in this edition, from his rise to prominence to his scandalous affair with Aspasia to his strategy of fighting the Peloponnesian war against Sparta and her allies. The latter topic, of course, will gather the most interest to modern readers.

While I have read Thucydides, I felt that Kagan did a wonderful job of elaborating on a lot of details of the Peloponnesian war that were a bit unclear in primary sources. The problem with historical primary sources is that they many times take as a given the reader knows all the background information behind specific events. Kagan makes no assumptions and walks the reader through the various political and social aspects that underlie sundry events of 5th century Greece.

One of the more surprising elements of this book is that Kagan is not reticent in his criticisms of many Periclean policies and war strategies. While moderation is typically seen as a positive thing (just ask Aristotle!), Kagan points out how Pericles could over-rely on human reason and be moderate to a fault. In short, this book is NOT an encomium on the Greek leader. Rather, it is an open an honest examination of his life & times. Kagan disinters both the best and the worst in Pericles' character and foresight.

This book is highly recommended to all persons who are interested in Greek history. For those who wish to become more acquainted with Athens in the turmoil of war, this book is a can't miss.

The Churchill of the Ancient World.......2004-07-21

When I was just a youngster I remembered reading about the "Golden Age of Pericles". What was this "golden age"? Who was Pericles? What impact did he have on the world today?

To begin with, the "golden age" marked the beginnings of the Athenian Empire. Athens became the Mecca for the world, attracting the greatest minds. It became an important trade center. With this, Athens became one of the greatest cities in the mid-Fifth Century BC world. At the center was Pericles.

Pericles rose to prominence under less than favorable circumstances. He came from an old family that was involved in a sacrilege to the gods about one hundred years earlier. His family was cursed and expelled from Athens. When Pericles came of age he neglected politics, as the Athenian aristocracy was firmly entrenched. When his opportunity finally came Pericles was able to win over the citizens to his way of thinking by the power of his oratory.

Pericles didn?t invent democracy but under his leadership democracy flourished. He firmly believed that when the opportunity for power belonged to all the citizens, instead of only a few, that the best people would rise to leadership roles. This was democracy?s strength. The critics?and there were many?feared mob rule. For that reason it would be a long time before democracy rose to prominence in the world again. Even our own founding fathers feared mob rule, but representative democracy would prevent that while preserving democracy?s strength.

The legacy of Pericles was that he was a true statesman. He understood the ramifications of the peace with Sparta and what would happen to Athens if she caved into the demands of Sparta. The result was a great Peloponnesian war that would eventually cost Athens her empire. It was faulty strategy, wrong assumptions, and a lack of strong leadership after Pericles died that did Athens in. Donald Kagan mentions the connection with Winston Churchill, who found his country facing a great danger from Germany because its prime minister backed down. Like Pericles, he knew Great Britain would have to stand and fight. One can only wonder what the world would be like if Pericles? Athens had won as Churchill?s Britain had?

A worthy book.......2003-12-10

This is a good biography of a great man. Kagan not only distills a great deal of information into a very accessable book, he also manages to impart understanding and insight about Pericles and his Athens. This book is valuable to anyone interested in classical Greece. With particular emphasis - anyone contemplating an attack on "The Peloponnesian War" by Thucydides would do well to get "Pericles" as a companion. Even if you already have Thucydides under your belt, you will probably gain fresh insight into that famously difficult work through Kagan's lucid exposition.

The birth of democracy: in ancient Athens, a leader named Pericles opened government to all citizens.(World History Play)(Play): An article from: Junior Scholastic

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The birth of democracy: in ancient Athens, a leader named Pericles opened government to all citizens.(World History Play)(Play): An article from: Junior Scholastic
Rachel Waugh
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Junior Scholastic, published by Thomson Gale on October 30, 2006. The length of the article is 2294 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The birth of democracy: in ancient Athens, a leader named Pericles opened government to all citizens.(World History Play)(Play)
Author: Rachel Waugh
Publication: Junior Scholastic (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 30, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 109 Issue: 6 Page: 14(6)

Article Type: Play

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy
Donald Kagan
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PS9NQY

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