The fifth century BC witnessed not only the emergence of one of the first democracies, but also the Persian and the Peloponnesian Wars. John Thorley provides a concise analysis of the development and operation of Athenian democracy against this backdrop. Taking into account both primary source material and the work of modern historians, Athenian Democracy examines:* the prelude to democracy* how the democractic system emerged* how this system worked in practice* the efficiency of this system of government* the success of Athenian democracy.Including a useful chronology and blibliography, this second edition has been updated to take into account recent research.