What Was the Impact of Alexander the Great’s Rule on the Practice of Democracy?

by Bazza1972 in History, August 8, 2009

At the time that Alexander the Great inherited the Macedonian throne democracy with varying degrees of popular participation and influence was practised or at least claimed to be operated in many Greek city-states. As will be examined Alexander the Great’s rule had an impact on the practice of democracy due to the various reasons and factors discussed. Democracy itself had already been practised for a centuries in some of the Greek city-states before Alexander the Great’s rule began, whilst his achievements would alter the political situation within Ancient Greece and beyond, mainly to his advantage. Democracy was not only practised in Ancient Greece proper, it was present in the Greek city-states that had been previously established in Asia Minor, and soon came under the control of Alexander the Great.

Therefore to conclude Alexander the Great did not intentionally alter the practice of democracy in the Greek city-states and the territories that he conquered during his relatively brief rule as the Macedonian king. Alexander the Great did not believe that his priority as the king of Macedonia was to increase or indeed to decrease the practice of democracy in the Greek city-states as well as the introducing the notion of democracy into the territories he planned to conquer. Of course Alexander the Great could not ignore the existence of the practice of democracy in the Greek city-states that he directly controlled or that were allied to Macedonia, even if it potentially reduced his political power and his military capabilities. A political leader as astute as Alexander the Great was not side tracked from his military plans and territorial ambitions just because some of the Greek city-states formally practised democracy. Indeed Alexander the Great set the precedent of a monarch being able to exercise considerable autocratic powers despite the presence of the practice of democracy that should have restrained or held back his political power. The practice of democracy during the lifetime of Alexander the Great was considerably different from the practice of liberal democracy in modern times. Democracy did not mean that every single adult within every Greek city-state could vote in municipal elections or contribute to the political decision-making process. In reality during the rule of Alexander the Great the practice of democracy was confined to the male citizens of Greek city-states, and only the wealthy aristocracy, landowners, and freemen could take part in the democratic process.

In reality Alexander the Great was able to gain the full support of the Greek city-states during his rule irrespective of whether or not those states formally practised within them. Alexander the Great was able to do what he wanted with the Greek city-state through a combination of admiration, respect, loyalty, as well as fear of punishment if they did not do as he requested. The aristocrats, landowners, and the freeman within the Greek city-states were willing to support Alexander the Great’s rule and his glorious conquests, as they would potentially gain fame, fortune, and lands from such conquests. As the practice of democracy did not intervene to prevent or did not actively promote his control of the Greek city-states Alexander the Great lacked any strong incentives to alter the practice of democracy during his rule as the Macedonian king. As the practice of democracy was neither beneficial nor harmful there was no urgent or pressing need to interfere in the ways it operated in.