How did social structure of ancient Athens impact its political structure?

Answer 1

Initially the citizens were structured according to their financial worth mlisted in the numbers of measures of produce they produces - 500 measure-men, 300 measures, 200 measures. Those below the 200 measures could not sustain a family and were workmen andnot citizens. With the coming of the democracy, ll those who could prove Athenian birth to their tribe t the age of 18 were citizens, regardless of their financial status, and could gain a living as sailors in the fleet, garrisons in the Athenian empire, and in the public service jobs and courts which proliferates, financed by the empire it created after the Persian War.

To the Athenians the courts were political, and ran on several juries of 500 each day. Then there was the Council of 500, the 20,000 in the warships and 10,000 in the garrisons - plenty of work for everyone, all finances by money forced from the 180 cities of the Athenian empire. And the citizens still at home met in fortnightly assembly to direct the conduct of affairs, which was then carried out by the Council of 500. And to underpin all this were about 70,000 slaves, nearly a quarter of Athens' population.