Article's Index:
Introduction
Spartan Republic
References
Other Sources
Introduction
The Doric Greeks of Crete and Laconia created and developed mixed government. A true form of the Greek πολιτεια which the Romans translated respublica. It was first developed on the island of Crete which influenced Lycurgus who transferred the form to his polity in Laconia. (Plutarch Vitae Parallelae 52, Müller 1839:I, 35, 152, 236; II, 13, 14, Rahe 1992:I 289, [n.123])
The Doric Greeks, being a very philosophical people, copied the paradigm of mixed government from the Natural/Temporal Order and applied it to the formation of their city-states. It is a by-product of the special Doric Cretan mentality of syncretism (by chance “Crete” forms the central portion of the word) (Ruprecht). “What the Dorians endeavored to obtain in a state was good order, or cosmos, the regular combination of different elements” (Müller, 1839: II, 2).
The governmental form of the Cretan and Lacedaemonian city-states was a blend of the best (arete) parts from Monarchy, Aristocracy and Democracy. All the classical republics were distinguished by the establishment of a senate body which grew into what is called a bicameral legislative body (the upper house being aristocratic {not elected by the people or if the people did vote for the members, chosen only from the aristocracy}), a popular assembly and by a constitution that marks out the duties and responsibilities of the different bodies (Schmitz). They merged them together in a harmonious partnership applying the rule of Righteousness (Dikaios). (Aristotle Pol. 3; Cicero, Resp. 233) The dictates of righteousness would state that each class was given one duty that its nature suited it for to perform.
To Royalty was given the office of executive, to the Aristocracy (its old function) of counsel and to the soldiers a voice of consent or dissent.
More Related Stories: The Tegean Army|Statue Project Planned for Sparta, Greece|Spartans and the Olympian Games|The Spartan Xyele|The Spartan Shield Blazons|The Spartan Army|The Phaistos Disk: A 100 Year Old Hoax?|Manchester University claims that Egyptians were the fathers of medicine|Lithagogia route discovered in Chalandri|Hellenistic tomb discovered in Thessaloníki
The Greeks defined differing governments by their dominant factor. Aristotle writes: “Now a constitution (Politeia) is the ordering of a state (Polis) in respect of its various magistracies, and especially the magistracy that is supreme over all matters. For the government is everywhere supreme over the state and the constitution is the government” (Aristotle Pol. iv 1, 1278b 5-10) “Our customary designation for a monarchy that aims at the common advantage is ‘kingship’; for a government of more than one yet only a few ‘aristocracy’, ...while when the multitude govern the state with a view to the common advantage, it is called by the name common to all the forms of constitution, ‘constitutional government‘” (Aristotle Pol. v 2f, 1279a 30-35). Where a government has only a king, the dominant factor, it is called a monarchy. Where a government has only a few nobles ruling, the dominant factor, it is called an aristocracy. Where the people, only the demos, are the dominant factor it is called a democracy.
The Greek word for State is “Polis”. It denotes “society” in general. Aristotle writes: “A collection of persons all alike does not constitute a state” (Aristotle Pol. i 4, 1261a 20; Plato R. 434; 149). To the Greek mind, a democracy is not a “polis” since it only has one class and everybody is alike. The Greek word, “Politeia” is applied to any form of government that includes numerous classes of people involved in governing and a constitution that defines and delegates rights and responsibilities of those classes. A republic is one that does not have a “dominant factor”. It is mixed. No single class or estate, has complete control, duties are shared amongst the classes. It is worthy of note that Aristotle in his famous treatise on politics leads with Crete then Sparta, then Carthage and then Solonic Athens. The sequence of the list shows that the first politeia originated in Crete and that Crete and Sparta were first in this regard, not Athens and not just any Athens but specifically Solonic Athens.
“Politeia” is a Greek word used by Aristotle in his book, Politics, to describe a republican form of government.
Aristotle records that “some people assert that the best constitution must be a combination of all the forms of constitution, therefore praise the constitution of Sparta” (Aristotle, Pol. iii 10, 1265b 30-35) He further argues that the better the constitution is mixed, the more permanent it is. (Aristotle Pol. x 4, 1297a 5-10) The definition he gives for this kind of government is a “politeia”; the form intermediate between a democracy and an oligarchy, which is termed a republic, (mesi de touton in kalousi politeian) for the government is constituted from the class that bears arms.(Aristotle, Pol. iii 9, 1265b 25) Again, Aristotle states that constitutional government is, to put it simply, “a mixture of oligarchy and democracy” (Aristotle, Pol. vi 2, 1293b 30-35).
Polybius (as also Plato and Aristotle) distinguishes three types of governments: “kingship, aristocracy, democracy”. Furthermore, like Aristotle, he goes on to state that the best constitution is that “which partakes of all these three elements”, thus creating a fourth type of government. (Plb. Bk VI, 3) “The first to construct a constitution—that of Sparta—on this principle”, Lycurgus, with some inspiration from his fellow Doric brothers in Crete and the support of Delphi (which was staffed by Cretan priests) created a government that combined an hereditary kingship with a body of advisors from the aristocracy and another that represented the rest of the people (the democracy), all being checks and balances on each other.
