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.