Which of the following statements best explains why direct democracy worked in ancient Athens?
A.
The council controlled the work of the assembly.
B.
People were paid to take part in government.
C.
The city-state's population of citizens was small.
D.
Free people could vote and hold office.
can someone pls help
it is Connexus unit 3 lesson 10 test
ok I'm not sure I'll be sure to come back with answers though
almsost a month later
Of the options provided, the statement that best explains why direct democracy worked in ancient Athens is option C: "The city-state's population of citizens was small."
To understand why this statement is the best explanation, it is important to have some context about direct democracy and ancient Athens. Direct democracy is a system of government where people directly participate in decision-making and voting on policies, rather than electing representatives to do so on their behalf. Ancient Athens is often considered the birthplace of democracy, as it was one of the few cities in ancient Greece that implemented a form of direct democracy.
In the case of Athens, the population of citizens was small compared to modern states. In ancient Athens, only adult male citizens who were born to citizen parents were considered citizens. This excluded a significant portion of the population, including women, slaves, and foreign residents. Therefore, the number of citizens who actively participated in the democratic process was relatively small.
Having a small population of citizens made it more manageable for direct democracy to work in ancient Athens. Decision-making processes, such as the assembly, where citizens gathered to discuss and vote on important matters, could be conducted on a scale that allowed for active participation and engagement from the citizens. This contrasts with larger modern states, where the logistics of involving every single citizen in decision-making would be more challenging.
Therefore, the statement that best explains why direct democracy worked in ancient Athens is that the city-state's population of citizens was small (option C).