Cleisthenes, the Ancient Satoshi Nakamoto
In the sixth century BC, Athens was going through a delicate institutional moment. Several decades after the democratic reforms of Solon, the polis was ruled by populist tyrant Peisistratus. In an attempt to create a hereditary monarchy, Pisistratus left his son Hippias in power. But Hippias was not as clever and charismatic as his father. He turned oppressive and was resisted by the Athenians.
Cleisthenes was the descendant of a noble Athenian family. He led a popular rebellion, and with the help of the army of the neighbor polis of Sparta, he managed to overthrow Hippias.
His goal was not substituting the tyranny of one family for the tyranny of another. Between 508 and 507 B.C., Cleisthenes implemented a 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”.
The Council and the Assembly 500
Pisistratus and Hippias tyranny was built on corrupt government and patronage.
Cleisthenes introduced the allotment for appointment to public office. Each year, 50 members of each tribe were drawn from a randomization machine called kleroterion to join the Council of 500 (boule), which managed government current affairs. All 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.
Reorganization of justice
Cleisthenes democratized justice. He created the people’s courts which handled most disputes. To avoid corruption, trials had between 200 and 5,000 jurors chosen by lot the same day. A higher court (the equivalent of our Supreme Courts) handled severe cases such as homicides.
Cleisthenes reforms decentralized and democratized power in Athens. They weakened the aristocracy and empowered people.
It is unclear what happened to Cleisthenes after his reforms. He seems to have simply vanished. This is why some historians believe the historical Cleisthenes never existed. He may be, they argue, a myth from the Greek oral tradition for the group of men that created Greek democracy. Others believe he did exist, and that he chose a self-imposed exile after his reforms.
Cleisthenes was the catalyst for the institutions that built democracy in Greece and the West… and then left the scene. He created a new government technology and gave it to the people. Maybe he knew that staying in the spotlight could lead to a new tyranny. For his deeds, Cleisthenes is the ancient Satoshi Nakamoto.
