Today, most governments in the world have converted to democracy. In the ancient world, there was only one truly remarkable example of a democratic society: the city-state of Athens. It is actually the birthplace of democracy, where instead of the rich or powerful in power, it was the citizens of the city-state who held the power. This advanced mode of government was so efficient and well structured that it even laid the foundation for the development of our own democracy, right here in the United States, over 2,000 years from now. Before the collapse of Athens during the Peloponnesian War, it had a truly efficient and highly organized system of government. Democracy in Athens dates back to 594 BCE, when Solon was given the power to introduce reforms in Athens. Over the next 190 years, Athens experienced its "golden age." Then, after being defeated and captured by the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War in 404 BCE, Athens' mode of government collapsed for a short time. However, everything was never the same again. The path to democracy began with the laws proposed by the noble Draco. “In an attempt to conciliate command, the nobles appointed one of their own men, Draco, to draw up a written code of law. However, his laws were deemed too harsh and soon the city teetered on the brink of a bloody revolution” (Nardo 12). After these laws were put in place, the ruling council of Athens granted Solon, an archon, the authority to propose reforms. Some of these reforms included canceling all agricultural debts, restoring freedom to Athenians who sold themselves into slavery, and granting all citizens the right to vote in the Assembly. Cleisthenes had an immense effect on democracy in Athens. The Peisistratid family ruled...... middle of paper ......nment. It was so well developed that we even referred to it when planning our own government after the Revolutionary War. In the ancient world, it was one of the rare examples of democracy. Today, many governments have become democracies or some form of democracy. You could say that Athens transformed the world in some way. This is how the people of Athens formed their government. Works Cited Ancient Civilizations. Danbury, Conn.: Grolier Educational, 2000. Print. Baxevanis, John. "Athens." World Book. Chicago: World Book Inc., 2010. Print. Nardo, Don. A travel guide to ancient Athens. New York: Lucent Books, 2003. Print. Sacks, David. “Democracy in Ancient Greece.” Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World. Rev. ed. New York: Facts about File, Inc., 2005. Web. . Accessed January 10. 2011.