Socratic Trial

The Democratic Athens was a colonial power also in the same way as the process democratisation in European countries in modern days was accompanied by colonisation of non-Eurpean world. But Athenian democracy was more democratic in essence than modern democracies despite the exclusion of women, slaves and aliens as the modern democracies essentially exclude the entire working population from the decision making process in the garb of giving them periodic opportunity to choose, in Leni's words, 'which section of the ruling classes are going to oppress them for the next 5 years.

Had it been Periclean democracy, probably Socratese might not have been accused of corupting the youth and impeity. It was a restored democracy.During its long drawn war with Sparta, there was a strong pro-Sparta oligarchiacl group within Ethens that unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the democratic government in 411 BC. many of the oligarchical leaders were Socrates's pupils and were talking in the same language such as the virtue is knowledge......... The anti democratic oligarchical forces were successful in overthrowing the democracy and establishing the 'reign of 30 tyrrants' that lasted for less than a year. During tyranical rule, many Athenians left Athens and went into exile in hospitable environs. Socrates preffered to stay back and was considered by the leaders of the restored democracy, Anytus and others as pro-oligarchical, Hence the trial was basically a political tral in the same way as in modern democracies political prisoners are tried for criminal charges. In the democratic court consisting of 1000 elected judges, Socrates was convicted by a marginal majority of 501. The illogical prejudices acquired majority over the logical reason, as Socratic arguements in his defence were impeccable, in the same way as reactionary illogical prejudices get majority over logically reasonable options in modern democracies, as it is easier to arouse passion than reason. The solution is not the destruction of democracy, as Plato had vowed but to make it reasonale and more representative, eventually into the ral democracy of a classless society in which governance becomes unneessary.