PDF Inside the Kremlin's Cold War: From Stalin to Krushchev by Vladislav Zubok; Constantine Pleshakov in History

Description

The ancient Greek statesman is a familiar figure in the Western political tradition. Less well known is the administrator who ran the state but who was himself a slave. Challenging the modern belief that democracy and bondage are incompatible; Paulin Ismard directs our attention to the cradle of Western democracy; ancient Athens; where the functioning of civic government depended crucially on highly skilled experts who were literally public servants―slaves owned by the city-state rather than by private citizens.Known as dēmosioi; these public slaves filled a variety of important roles in Athenian society. They were court clerks; archivists; administrators; accountants; and policemen. Many possessed knowledge and skills beyond the attainments of average citizens; and they enjoyed privileges; such as the right to own property; that were denied to private slaves. In effect; dēmosioi were Western civilization’s first civil servants―though they carried out their duties in a condition of bound servitude.Ismard detects a radical split between politics and administrative government at the heart of Athenian democracy. The city-state’s managerial caste freed citizens from the day-to-day responsibilities of running the state. By the same token; these public servants were unable to participate in the democratic process because they lacked the rights of full citizenship. By rendering the state’s administrators politically invisible; Athens warded off the specter of a government capable of turning against the citizens’ will. In a real sense; Ismard shows; Athenian citizens put the success of their democratic experiment in the hands of slaves.