How was ancient Greek democracy born?　And how effectively did it work? Behind it all, there was an extremely severe war that had to be fought against the mighty Persian Empire with a small army... An opening of the new series tracing the struggles and achievements of the Greeks by the author of "The Story of the Roman People", bestselling historical essay sold 18 milllion copies in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and China.


A notes from author
In this book, you will find nothing about the ideal state of a democracy, how democratic leaders should behave, or how voters should get involved in democratic politics. Instead, I will consider why it occurred to them to invent democracy, something that had never been done before. When, by whom, and how was that democracy put into motion? How did voters participate, even when the state was on the brink of destruction? What made it possible for them to do so, and what were the subsequent results? I will examine all of these issues.
As the common theme running through The Story of the Roman People, I chose the Latin phrase “res gestae populi Romani”, meaning “the accomplishments of the Roman people.” My main objective, after all, was to follow the trail of their actions (“gestae”). Even though my focus has shifted to the Greeks, this style—tracing their steps, in other words—will not change. Nor will I change my position that it is up to you, the reader, to determine the meaning their story might hold (or not hold) for people today.
Welcome to the world of the ancient Greeks.