WI Athens had not turned democratic

[Hecatee]

A lot of the Greek conflicts in the 5th and 4th centuries revolved around the idea of democracy, a new political philosophy born in the late 6th century BC in Athens. One of the main achievement that established democracy as a viable form of government in the eye of many was the victory of the Athenians at Marathon which showed that a tyrant was not necessary to defend a city.

One can presume that the Athenians may not send support to Asian cities in revolt against the Great King of Persia, thus not causing the first medic war. Also the tyrant's network would be more dense and a tyrant of the tyrants may appear, a man that would become some kind of new Agamemnon or akin to the tyrants of Syracuse.

It would mean less fighting among the Greeks and thus some 10% more population in Greece ( 10% of dead a year is the average loss of live suffered by Greek cities due to warfare in the period ) the Greeks will have to send more colonists somewhere : Thrace, Black Sea, Sicily will be the main destinations, especially with the warfare against Carthage going as historically. Thus a more Hellenize Mediterranean sea might very well be the result of this.


So, what do you think would have happened if the tyrants of Athens had stayed in control at Athens and that democracy was not born ?

 

[MarkA]

Probably a political development closer to the later Roman system. After all, the Hoplite class are not going to let someone dictate to them when they have the ultimate power.

 

[MrP]

Either an oligarchy of the most powerful operating like the Roman system with a complex system of clients and patrons or a watered down version of democracy with a reasonably high property/wealth qualification for voting limiting power to the hoplites, like Mark says. Possibly dictators, but the Athenians had the habit of having political rows and chucking them out. Athens won't have a fleet anything like OTL, that's one thing that strikes me.