The fifth century BC witnessed not only the emergence of one of the first democracies, but also the Persian and the Peloponnesian Wars. John Thorley provides a concise analysis of the development and operation of Athenian democracy against this backdrop.

Taking into account both primary source material and the work of modern historians, Athenian Democracy examines:

• the prelude to democracy
• how the democractic system emerged
• how this system worked in practice
• the efficiency of this system of government
• the success of Athenian...