Athens was a city in Greece controlled by aristocrats that became a unified polis in 700 B.C.E. Athens was pretty much down the toilet in terms of political turmoil. People owed money left and right, others had hardly any land. Athens practically ha...
Tyranny came as a result of Solon's failed attempts at solving Athenian problems. His relative Pisistratus, seized power in 560 B.C.E and became a tyrant. Pisistratus helped Athens, giving land from the rich to the poor; something Solon was unable to do. Unlike Solon, Pisistratus did not tamper with the constitution, he created jobs by providing building programs, and providing help for the poor.
Although Pisistratus became popular among the Athenians, his tyranny ended when his sons Hippias and Hipparchus were rebelled against and ended by Sparta, ending his tyranny in 510 B.C.E. Since then, Athenians set laws which ensured that never again someone would wield such power.
Although the aristocrats attempted to reestablish their power, an aristocratic reformer named Cleisthenes gained power in 508 B.C.E and established the basis for Athenian democracy.
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Pisistratus, Latinized Pisistratus,son of Hippocrates, ruler of ancient Athens (561-527 B.C.)
