How Did Athens Become a Democracy During the Age of Pericles?

In the 5th century BC, Athens entered a time known as its Golden Age, especially under the leadership of a politician named Pericles. This period, from 461 to 429 BC, was when democracy in Athens grew stronger than ever before.

At first, the common people (called the demos) had to fight hard to gain more political rights. Over time, their efforts paid off, and Athens became a democratic republic — which means it was ruled by the people, not by kings or aristocrats. Everyone had a chance to take part in decisions that affected the city.

Pericles had several important goals that helped shape Athenian democracy:

He believed that all citizens, even the poor, should be able to participate in politics. To make this possible, he introduced a system where public officials and citizens who worked in government were paid. This meant that people didn’t have to be rich to be involved in public life.

Before Pericles, wealthy aristocrats had most of the power. But in 462 BC, a reformer named Ephialtes began to reduce their influence. Pericles continued this work. He made sure that the rich helped the city by paying for things like military expenses and theater performances, instead of controlling politics.

Pericles also wanted to make Athens powerful and wealthy. He used money from the Delian League (a group of Greek city-states led by Athens) to build up the navy. This helped protect Greece and allowed Athens to take control of islands in the Aegean Sea, where they set up new colonies and markets. All this made Athens rich and important in trade — and the people didn’t have to pay regular taxes.

Pericles wanted Athens to be the most beautiful and admired city in Greece. He started huge building projects to make the city more impressive. The port city of Piraeus became a major trading center, and amazing buildings like the Acropolis and the Parthenon were constructed.

Under Pericles, Athens became a strong democracy, a rich trading power, and a center of culture. This time is still remembered today as one of the greatest periods in ancient Greek history.