The content of Solon's reform.
difficulty
The influence of Solon's reform on Athens' social progress.
Analysis and Suggestions on the Content of Teaching Materials
This lesson mainly introduces Solon's reform from four aspects: issuing the "burden reduction order", establishing the property hierarchy, establishing the "400-person meeting" and encouraging the development of agriculture, industry and commerce. Solon's reform is an important milestone in the historical development of Athens city-state, which laid the foundation of Athens' democratic politics, promoted the development of industry and commerce, adjusted the interest relationship between different classes of citizens' collective, and guaranteed the economic, political and social status of small and medium-sized owners engaged in their own labor. Because this lesson focuses on the content of Solon's reform, and the relevant materials are relatively scarce, it is suggested that teachers firmly grasp the relevant content of Solon's reform in the teaching process, contact the relevant knowledge of 1 lesson, and analyze the influence of Solon's reform on Athens' social progress around the theme of "Solon's reform has brought a profound social revolution to Athens".
The introduction of this lesson consists of three parts: written materials, main inquiry questions and important concepts. The written materials mainly introduce the reasons, characteristics, main contents and influence of Solon's reform. It is suggested that teachers design it as a question, and combine three "main problems to be explored" and two "important concepts" to introduce this lesson by asking questions.
The first goal is to "issue a release order".
The textbook focuses on the "order to reduce the burden", mainly introduces the "order to reduce the burden", the maximum land occupation law and the will law, and then introduces two measures taken by Solon to deal with the opposition of the nobility. Finally, the textbook focuses on the achievements and significance of the implementation of the "burden reduction order".
(1) "Ordered to relieve the overall responsibility"
Because "the order to relieve the negative burden" is a key concept, it is suggested that teachers should first give a concise explanation of "negative" when teaching this project, that is, "negative" refers to debt, and "the order to relieve the negative burden" is a decree to abolish debt.
Before Solon's reform, the peasants in Athens were in an extremely difficult situation. If they can't repay the debt they borrowed from the rich man, the rich man will erect a debt monument on the borrower's land, and the borrower will become "6 1 Han". They worked for the rich man and gave him a fifth of their harvest, leaving only a sixth for themselves. If the harvest is not enough to pay interest, the rich man has the right to sell the indebted farmers and their wives and children to slaves after one year.
In the early morning of 594 BC, thousands of farmers, craftsmen and new industrial and commercial slave owners gathered in the central square of the ancient city of Athens. People in high spirits are eagerly waiting for an important moment: Solon, the newly appointed CEO, will announce an important law here. When Solon read aloud the Law "Abolition Order" aimed at cracking down on the declining gentry and nobles and promoting the economic development of slavery, and solemnly declared "the validity period of this law 100 years", thunderous applause and cheers broke out, and the whole city of Athens was shrouded in an unusually warm atmosphere.
(2) stipulate the maximum amount of land that an individual can occupy and the testamentary law.
In order to prevent the nobles from arbitrarily annexing the land and prevent the freed Athenians from becoming slaves again, Solon issued a decree stipulating the maximum amount of land occupied by individuals. At the same time, in order to prevent nobles from arbitrarily occupying civilian property, Solon also formulated the "Wills Law", which stipulated that childless people had the right to hand over their inheritance to designated heirs according to their own wishes. This prevents the emergence of new debt slaves.
(3) Solon's measures against aristocratic opposition
There is no doubt that the "revocation order" is a kind of "infringement" on creditors, so it is bound to be fiercely opposed by nobles, who move around, incite trouble and besiege Solon. As Engels said: "In Solon Revolution, the creditor's property should be damaged to protect the debtor's property." He pulled out the monument of creditor's rights erected on the mortgaged land, which was naturally loved by the general public. Therefore, on the one hand, Solon relied on the support of civilians and insisted on reform; On the other hand, in order to alleviate the strong opposition of the nobility and stabilize the social order, some adjustments have also been made to the reform measures. These two measures have effectively ensured the success of the reform.
(4) Results and significance
On the one hand, the promulgation of the "release order" effectively prevented the nobles from annexing land and lifted the threat of debt slavery to civilians; On the other hand, the social structure of Athens has undergone tremendous changes. The original debt slaves, civilians and nobles have all become Athenian citizens who enjoy personal freedom and civil rights. But Athens did not abolish slavery, and there were still a large number of non-debt slaves from the slave market, overseas plunder or war prisoners.
Teaching suggestion, the content of this project can be designed into several questions, and students can be guided to complete the questions by question method on the basis of reading. For example: Question 1: How did Athens abolish slavery? Question 2: Why did the "issuing order" meet with the opposition of nobles? Why do civilians support it? Question 3: What is the result of implementing the "release order"?
The second goal is to "establish a property hierarchy"
This paper mainly introduces Solon's reformed property hierarchy from the aspects of purpose, standard, rights and obligations and evaluation. Private ownership in Athens is quite developed, and private property is strictly protected. In the 6th century BC, a new class, which was strengthened by industry and commerce, began to rise, and they were strongly dissatisfied with their inability to participate in politics. According to the results of the population survey, Solon formulated a policy that the size of individual rights is directly proportional to the property he owns. This strategy is called attribute hierarchy. Compared with the aristocratic system, this property hierarchy is undoubtedly a great progress.
(1) The purpose, principles and methods of establishing the property hierarchy.
Solon established the property hierarchy in order to break the hereditary privilege of nobles; The principle is not to value blood and property; The method is to convert citizens' total annual income into agricultural products to calculate property, and divide it into four grades according to the amount of property.
(2) different levels of power
The first level can hold all official positions; The second level can hold all senior official positions except treasurer (financial officer); The third level can hold a low-level official position; The fourth grade has the right to vote but not to be elected, and has no right to hold public office. In addition, there is no subsidy or little subsidy for official positions at all levels in Athens, which also limits those who have no property or little property to hold public office.
(3) different levels of obligations
First, second-class cavalry military service, bring their own armaments, uniforms, horses; The third level provides heavy infantry, with its own weapons and uniforms (shields, helmets, armor, swords), and no horses. Because the main force of the army at that time was heavy infantry, the number of people in the third grade was the largest; The fourth level is obliged to provide light infantry (with sticks) or ordinary sailors (without armaments). All the public expenditures of the polis are shared and increase or decrease with the level.
(4) Property grade evaluation.
To evaluate the property hierarchy, we need to make a fair and objective evaluation from two aspects: restriction and progress, but we should give priority to affirming progress. Because the standard for determining the level of property is the amount of property, the more property, the higher the level, the greater the power you enjoy. Therefore, this system does not achieve real equality among citizens, but means that as an aristocrat, if your property is less, you will not enjoy as many political rights as in the past, and emerging industrial and commercial slave owners can rank among the city-state governments with their private property. This broke the situation that nobles monopolized official positions by relying on hereditary privileges, and opened the way for slave owners with non-aristocratic backgrounds to participate in political rights.
The third goal is to "establish a' 400-person meeting'"
This paper mainly introduces Solon's reform of state power organs from three aspects, namely, restoring the citizens' assembly as the highest state power organ; Establish a "400-member meeting" as a permanent body of the citizens' assembly; Establish a citizen jury court as the highest judicial organ.
(1) Restore the citizens' assembly as the highest organ of state power. The citizens' assembly is the highest authority of the ancient Greek city-state. Its main functions and powers include the right to decide state affairs such as war and peace, and the right to elect state officials. Solon's greatest progress in the reform lies in expanding the members attending the citizens' assembly to all citizens, including the fourth grade, breaking the situation that the citizens' assembly is an accessory of aristocratic politics, greatly improving the enthusiasm of citizens to participate in and discuss state affairs, and weakening the power of the aristocratic elders' assembly, which is a great progress in Athens' political democracy.
(2) form a "400-member meeting" as a permanent body of the citizens' assembly. The establishment of the "400-member conference" is not only the progress of Athenian politics, but also the concentrated expression of the limitations of Athenian democratic politics. First of all, only the first four tribes in Athens participated in the "four hundred people meeting"; Secondly, citizens of the fourth grade and others, such as slaves and outsiders, have no right to participate in the "400-person meeting"; Third, the "400-member conference" actually has the highest sovereignty. Therefore, the establishment of the "400-member conference" played a role in the process of political democratization in Athens, breaking the situation of hereditary aristocrats monopolizing politics and giving emerging industrial and commercial slave owners the right to participate in political management.
(3) Establish a citizen jury court as the highest judicial organ. Solon's reform initiated the jury court system, which was an important measure of judicial democratization and an important part of Athens' democratic system. Jurors are citizens from all walks of life. This broke the long-term monopoly of the nobility on judicial power. Solon also abolished many harsh laws and made some new ones. Before Solon's reform, the delacour Law implemented in Athens was notoriously strict, and all negligence such as stealing fruit and being lazy would be sentenced to death. People accused it of being written not in ink but in blood. Solon reformed this kind of torture, stipulating that other criminals should not be sentenced to death except homicide. Any citizen has the right to complain. This is an expression of respect for human rights in ancient Athens.
Fourth, "encourage the development of agriculture, industry and commerce"
This pap introduces that measure of Solon's reform in encouraging the development of agriculture, industry, commerce and life. These measures greatly promoted the development of slavery economy in Athens. It is suggested that teachers guide students to summarize from the following aspects in teaching:
(1) Purpose: To expand the employment opportunities of lower-class civilians and strengthen the strength of Athens city-state.
(2) Measures to develop agricultural production: prohibit grain exports and curb food prices; Improve canal irrigation system and advocate planting cash crops; Encourage the export of self-sufficient cash crops such as olive oil.
(3) Measures to develop handicrafts: It is stipulated that all Athenian citizens must let their sons learn a trade to attract and encourage skilled foreigners to move to Athens.
(4) Developing commerce and other measures: reforming the monetary system and weights and measures; Determine the principle of freedom of private property inheritance; Advocate thrift and curb extravagance and waste; Punish idlers.
A series of legal provisions formulated by Solon's reform were carved on wooden boards or slates and embedded in rotatable rectangular frames, which were made public. The people of Athens lived up to their love of history. In the two hundred years after Solon, they constantly improved their concept of justice and created a Greek civilization with all-round prosperity in politics, economy and culture.
Third, teaching design and cases
1. Instructional design
With regard to the project of "Issuing the Order to Lighten the Burden", teachers can adopt the problem-based teaching method and refer to the historical aspects and illustrations of the project of "Slave Market in Ancient Greece" to guide students to realize that: firstly, the sources of slaves in Athens are very extensive; Secondly, slavery in Athens is relatively perfect; Third, the situation of Athenian slaves was very tragic. In order to understand the arduousness and significance of Solon's reform in abolishing debts and liberating slaves.
With regard to the purpose of "determining the property grade", teachers should grasp the standard of determining the property grade and the power difference between different grades, and guide students to realize the unfairness of the property grade. At the same time, they should combine the learning window and the obligations between different grades to supplement the historical fact that "Athens public officials have no or limited subsidies, so that farmers and craftsmen can't participate in politics often", so that students can realize the progressive and realistic principles of the property grade system instead of the blood grade system.
With regard to the goal of "establishing a conference of 400 people", teachers should make a relatively complete summary of the democratic politics in Athens, so that students can have a relatively comprehensive understanding of Solon's reform. For example:
The manifestations of political democracy in Athens are: first, the formal recognition of citizens' equal rights; Second, the citizens' assembly, as the highest organ of state power, enjoys extensive powers; Third, national public officials are elected.
The limitations are as follows: first, although Athenian citizens enjoy equal rights in form, only one-tenth of its population enjoys civil rights. Therefore, its democratic politics is essentially only democracy within the slave owner class; Second, limited subsidies can't make farmers and craftsmen often participate in politics.
As for the purpose of "encouraging the development of agriculture, industry and commerce", teachers can illustrate the high prosperity of the slave economy in Athens with modern textbook illustrations such as Athens warships, Athens commerce, Athens pottery workshops and Athens gold coins.
Because there is a lot of knowledge to be memorized in this class, the final summary of the class can be designed into a table from three aspects: the reason and purpose, the main measures and the effect of the result, so that students can review and have a comprehensive understanding of the content of this class.
2. Teaching cases
In the first case, when teaching and issuing the "release order", the teacher made the textbook illustration "Slave Market in Ancient Greece" into a slide show. In the slave market, an old and frail slave is about to be sold by the slave owner. He has a reins tied around his neck like an animal, and the other end of the reins is in the hands of slave owners. He crouched down and stared at the stick in the hands of the slave owner with frightened eyes. I don't know when this ruthless wooden stick will fall heavily on him. Who can save him? The great reformer Solon.
In case 2, a scene of Solon's speech was made into a slide show. One morning in 594 BC, Solon strode to the pulpit under the gaze and expectation of everyone. He went straight to a big wooden frame, turned over the boards in the wooden frame, and the new legal provisions engraved on the boards appeared in front of people-"Citizens who sold themselves into slavery due to debts will be released; All debts have been cancelled. " This is a "release order".
In case 3, when studying the purpose of establishing property hierarchy, the textbook illustrations "Athens Heavy Soldiers" and "Modern Imitation of Athens Warships" were made into slides, and a cavalry map was made by myself. These three pictures are combined into one picture, and the question is designed: Please indicate which level the different arms in the picture are according to the obligations of the four levels. Who will bear the cost of equipment? Make students have a specific understanding of different levels of obligations.
Fourth, answer questions.
A window for learning and thinking.
What is the difference between this property hierarchy and the hierarchy established by blood? Please comment on this.
The key to solving the problem: what is the standard for establishing hierarchy? The hierarchy established by consanguinity represents the privileged rank of hereditary nobility.
Leading mode of thinking: the influence on the hereditary privilege of nobles, the influence on the emerging industrial and commercial slave owners and the influence on ordinary citizens.
Answer prompt: It broke the situation that nobles monopolized the political power according to the hereditary privilege of blood, and opened up the way for non-aristocratic industrial and commercial slave owners to participate in politics, which is a historical progress. However, the property hierarchy has not brought true equality. Farmers and craftsmen of the fourth class not only have no right to hold official positions, but also often cannot participate in politics because of economic conditions.
A summary of research-based learning
(A) curriculum evaluation
1. What is the significance of abolishing debt slavery and establishing property hierarchy in Solon's reform?
The key to solving the problem: the original debt slaves become citizens, and they have certain political rights.
Thinking guidance: improve production enthusiasm; Adjusted the interest relationship between different classes in the citizen collective.
Answer prompt: the civilians who became slaves because of debt regained their land and personal freedom, which laid the foundation of Athenian democracy and was conducive to the development of Athenian slave economy. The interests of different classes in the collective of citizens have been readjusted, so that the economic, political and social status of middle and lower class citizens engaged in labor can be guaranteed.
2. What measures did Solon take to develop economy?
The key to solving the problem: measures to develop the economy.
Guiding ideology: including various measures to develop agriculture, industry and commerce.
Answer the prompt:
(1) Measures to develop agricultural production: prohibit grain exports and curb food prices; Improve canal irrigation system and advocate planting cash crops; Encourage the export of self-sufficient cash crops such as olive oil.
(2) Measures to develop handicrafts: it is stipulated that all Athenian citizens must let their sons learn a trade; Attract and encourage skilled foreigners to move to Athens.
(3) Developing commerce and other measures: reforming the monetary system and weights and measures; Determine the principle of freedom of private property inheritance; Advocate thrift and curb extravagance and waste; Punish idlers.
Learning promotion
1. Investigation activities
Write an article about history and think about it. If you were a commoner or nobleman living in Athens during Solon's reform, what influence did Solon's reform have on you?
The key to solving the problem: Random thinking is not daydreaming, but should conform to the objective reality at that time.
Guided by thinking: if it is a civilian, it is the beneficiary of reform; If aristocrats (non-industrial and commercial slave owners) are the victims of reform.
Step 2 read and think
Please analyze the above materials and talk about the legal characteristics of Solon's reform.
The key to solving the problem: reading the analysis materials and refining the characteristic information.
Thinking orientation: refer to the universality, equality and stability of the fundamental law of modern law.
Answer prompt: the universality of law, the law is written on the sign and stands in the colonnade; Everyone is equal before the law, and everyone must swear to abide by it, and the consul swears; The stability of the law will remain unchanged for a hundred years.