George Grotte A Study Of Athenian Democracy

George Grote,the British historian of ancient Greece,is a watershed figure in the history of Greek history.As a representative of utilitarianism in the field of history,he made great achievements in the fields of politics,education,philosophy and history,especially in Greek history.In his magnum opus,the 12-volume A History of Greece,he critically absorbed the research results of predecessors,cast new light on almost every important issue in Greek history with the rigor of scientific positivism,established the position of Athens as the dominant city in the political,cultural and social history of Greece once and for all.In the meantime,he removed the long-standing stigmatization of Athenian democracy in a systematic and thorough manner,thus pointing out a new direction,setting up a new standard,and infusing new vigor and impetus into the study of Greek history.To this day,his work is still a must-read for those who are serious in the study of Greek history.This thesis mainly focuses on Grote's defense of Athenian democracy,putting his research into the political,historical and intellectual traditions in which he lived,and expositing his dialogues across time and space with ancient and modern writers,so as to clarify his position and influence in the academic and ideological history.This thesis is composed of three parts: the introduction,the main body and the conclusion.The introduction is mainly about the reasons for choosing the topic,review of research both at home and abroad,the methods and sources used in writing.The main body is divided into four chapters and the summary is as follows:The first chapter introduces the background of early Victorian society in which Grote lived,expounds his life experiences and his circle of friends,and shows his highly productive life in different stages and fields,involving education,politics and academic research.The third and fourth chapters rescues the Athenian democracy from the odium it had been doomed since classical times.Like a brilliant advocate,on the basis of full respect and re-interpretation of all aspects of evidence,Grote,with his powerful logical reasoning and profound knowledge,refuted all the charges against Athenian democracy one by one.He proved that ostracism played an indispensable role in the growth of the fledgling Athenian democracy,and that the Athenian democracy were not the tyranny of a mob as they were traditionally accused of.