Athenian Oligarchs: The Numbers Game.

The article explores oligarchy as a basic form of government during the last quarter of the fifth century in Athens, Greece. Athenians reduced their choices of forms of government to one between democracy and oligarchy in which kings might appear on the tragic stage. According to the author, from the late fifth century Athenian democrats tended to associate oligarchy with tyranny. Athenians perceived democracy as radical democracy. It is stated that it is a tempting hypothesis that such a binary view on democracy laid the Athenians open to the oligarchic coup of 411.