What was the Failure of Athenian Democracy and what impact did it have on the democracy in Athens?

Answer 1

Athens was a pure democracy. It lacked constitutional protections; so that a slim majority could disenfranchise large portions of the population. It lent itself to demagogues and pandering politicians. Plus, it was a democracy of the elite. Only adult male property owners both of whose parents were Athenian could vote. If you were female, devoid of property, or had the misfortune to have one of your parents be born in another city, you could not vote--to say nothing of resident aliens who spent their whole lives in the city, or slaves. There were also class conflicts between the aristocratic elite and the merchant democrats. The gridlock formed by the political factions meant that Athens could not formulate an effective policy against the Macedonian threat.