{"product_id":"demos-daniela-cammack-9780691212036","title":"Demos: How the People Ruled Athens","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA compelling reinterpretation of ancient Greek democracy showing that the people ruled by securing mass control over leaders\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn ancient Greece, \u003ci\u003edemokratia\u003c\/i\u003e meant \"rule by the people\"--but what people, and how did they rule? Scholars have long argued that \u003ci\u003edemokratia\u003c\/i\u003e signified the rule of all adult male citizens over themselves. In \u003ci\u003eDemo\u003c\/i\u003es, Daniela Cammack counters this view by arguing that \u003ci\u003edemokratia\u003c\/i\u003e meant rule by the crowd that assembled when a public meeting was held. This crowd was the \u003ci\u003edemos\u003c\/i\u003e, which the Greeks distinguished from orators, generals, councilors, public benefactors, and other civic leaders. Drawing on literary and epigraphical evidence as well as the key theoretical insights of Aristotle and Hobbes, Cammack explains how constantly changing masses of ordinary ancient Greek men ruled while their leaders were ruled over. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis political system relied on \u003ci\u003ekratos\u003c\/i\u003e, the power to prevail militarily, epitomized by the victories of the Athenian \u003ci\u003edemos\u003c\/i\u003e in civil conflicts around 508 and 404 BC. In peacetime, the superior strength of the demos revealed itself in large, frequently summoned crowds of ordinary citizens acting as policymakers, legislators, and (crucially) judges, who wielded great power over politicians. Aristotle characterized the years 403 to 322 as the era of \"ultimate democracy,\" and it was during this period that the Athenians pulled off a feat unmatched by modern democrats: making use of talented and ambitious leaders without being ruled by them. By contrast, the Greeks called rule by elected office-holders \"oligarchy.\" As people today lose faith in democratic institutions, Cammack's account prompts us to ask if we've been doing democracy all wrong--or even at all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Daniela Cammack\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0691212031\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691212036\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 440\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Daniela Cammack","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48623599059199,"sku":"9780691212036","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_46f8b602-18f0-4534-868f-0498a79f9cb1.jpg?v=1780433481","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/demos-daniela-cammack-9780691212036","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}