Sample Essay – Pericles
Pericles remained incorruptible in his wisdom and dignity, never seeking favors from any source or wanting to favor anyone. This is why he joined politics but never bought the votes, unlike Cimon, who believed in using money to help people. The reason for Pericles’ joining politics was because he considered Cimon a danger to democracy (Plutarch 49).
His use of money was chiefly for security or entertainment reasons. Still, his way to being voted in was through his powerful rhetoric, which could only enable garner support from the majority that he gets. Pericles cannot be exonerated from shrewdness and calculative moves. He instilled fear and hope to enable him realize his goals, a characteristic equivalent o modern days’ transformational leadership (Thucydides 120).
Pericles’ empowerment of Athenians took three fronts: first, he led them to establish a military power by patrolling the Aegean to keep the Persians away.
Secondly, he emphasized education, for it was the only way political matters were agreed upon easily due to being informed. His need for Athenians to consider themselves superior to other Greeks prompted this empowerment program, cultivating a high social esteem for his citizens.
Thirdly, he turned Athens into a great trading zone, which led to the gaining of revenue that was used, paying salaries to the council representatives and paying wages to the poor Athenians who built infrastructure (Plutarch 188).
From this empowerment program, modern states can be seen to emphasize the education of their people, their security and the economic restructuring of their cities and villages for prosperity. This great idea from Pericles forms the basis of the change of regimes if the existing ones fail to empower their citizens in these fields and others as per the immediate needs of those regimes.
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