In the democratic city of Athens,Greece,citizens took part in the government.Not everyone,though,could be a citizen.A citizen had to be a male over the age of 18 . Usually a man's father,and sometimes his mother's father, also had to be citizens . Only about 15 percent of the 300,000 people living in Athens could be citizens. Women and children could not be citizens,even though they made up 48 percent of the population.Slaves could not be citizens even though they made up 25 percent of the population.
The democracy of the ancient Greeks is not the ideal for which modern countries strive. But the Greeks can take credit for the beginning of an idea.