Greek--specifiacally Athenian Democracy definitely had its flaws, but in concept and practice, in many crucial ways it was superior to what we have today. Slavery, yes, but these were generally enemy troops captured in battle. It was not an institutionalized part of their economy. Nor did it target particular racial groups the way slavery in the southern United States did. It was usually for a short time, then they were sent home with the admonition, "Don't do it again!"

Only men had the vote. Not women. But there were many men at the time who strongly pointed out that by not including women in their deliberations (and many councils and symposia DID!), they were wasting about half of the city-state's intellectual power. The disenfranchisement of women was not specifically Greek. It was the world view at the time, and remember:   that viewpoint didn't crumble until very recently, and in some places in the world, it still prevails.

Here's the kicker:   All Athenian citizens were expected to keep up with current affairs, and there could be disastrous consequences if they did not. Here's how. There were no political parties. The Athenians knew what that could lead to, which we have obviously forgotten, and it now limits our choices to only what the Powers that Be chose to present us with. In Athens, candidates were chosen from the citizenry at large by lottery. YOU might suddenly be in charge! You served for a specified period of time, then someone else would be chosen by lottery to replace you.

Now hear this:   The citizens at large would then vote on how well you did. You could be awarded a laurel wreath and great honors if you did well. But—if you screwed up royally or were just generally incompetent, you could be banished from Athens.

And this was decided by the citizens at large.

Juries (501, again, chosen at random, by lottery) and councils (the first 6,000 citizens to arrive on "The Hill") were far too large for anyone to bribe.

Well, I could go on about the virtues and flaws of Athenian Democracy, but it's already been done, quite neatly in First Democracy, The Challenge of an Ancient Idea, by Paul Woodruff. It's a fast and easy read, and it's a real eye-opener.

Woodruff ends with a chapter that asks, "Are Americans Ready for Democracy?"

Like I say, it's a real eye-opener.

Don Firth