Contiguity of democracy and stasis in Aristotle's Politics

Authors

Abstract

The aim of the study presented in this article is to give an account of the connection that Aristotle establishes between stasis and democracy in Book V of the Politics. Basic conditions for the occurrence of stasis in a democracy are the existence of both elementary inequality within the city and the action of a demagogue who exploits this reality and the sense of injustice perceived by the poor. Stasis in democracy, according to a comprehensive analysis of the Politics, never leads to a politically better or more stable situation.

Keywords:

tragedy, civil war, revolution, sedition, Greece

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