The Athenian experiment with democracy occurred in which city-state?

• A. Sparta
• B. Athens
• C. Corinth
• D. Thebes

Answer: (B)

Democracy as practiced in ancient times took root in Athens, where reforms in the late 6th century BCE expanded political participation beyond a narrow elite. In Athens, eligible male citizens could gather in the assembly to debate and vote on laws, while the council of 500 prepared legislation and ordinary citizens served as jurors in the courts. This direct participation and accountability defined the Athenian experiment, even though it excluded women, slaves, and non-citizens. Other Greek city-states operated under different systems: Sparta relied on an oligarchic structure with limited political power for most citizens, and Corinth and Thebes pursued their own political experiments without the same broad-based democracy that arose in Athens. So the city-state where the Athenian experiment with democracy occurred is Athens.