Why were the Democratic reforms of Solon more important than the constitutional reforms of Cleisthenes for the common people in Ancient Athens?

Answer 1

Solon's reforms were mainly aimed at ending the social turmoil in oligarchic Athens - getting rid of debt-slavery and absolute aristocratic control. It was a compromise which did not solve the problem of power, and could not last, so the common people supported a tyrant to act on their behalf and enforce their rights.

After getting tired of the tyrants, they supported Cleisthenes who established an assembly where the people could actually vote on what they wanted, rather than putting up with what a Council or Tyrant thought was good or sufficient for them. So Cleisthenes' reforms were far more important than those of Solon's settlement which was not a democracy - allowing the aristocratic Council of the Areopagus to maintain dominant power.

Unfortunately the Persian War saw the return of the aristocrats who led the war effort, and retained power afterwards. It took another 20 years for Ephialtes to wrest power from the Council and re-establish democratic rule and sideline the Council again - for which they assassinated him. It was then left to his deputy, Pericles, to cement and extend Athens' democracy.