Was Athens really a 'democracy'?

             Athens was said to be a democracy, which is a type of government where the people decide who their leaders are and how to run their country. They do this through consensus, direct referendum, or elected representatives. All citizens have equal power before the law, which mean everyone has the same rights and must obey the same laws. The Athenian democracy started around the time of five hundred eight before the Common Era. It was one of the first democracies, and even though other Greek city states set up other democracies too most were based from the one in Athens. Also, none were as stable, powerful, or as well documented as the Athenian democracy. This democracy however was greatly influenced by political satire by the comic poets preforming in the theatres of Athens, which is a satire that gained entertainment from politics. And even though the Athenian democracy was very different from what our democracy is now, it is still a democracy. Controversy, on this is from both the ancient time but also from today. In the ancient times of Athens, many citizens felt that the government was giving too much power to the poor and uneducated opposed to the wealthy. Modern critics however thought the exact opposite. Instead, that the diversity of citizens who did have power was very little. I disagree on this because from what I can tell everyone, who was a citizen, was equal just like in our democracy now. They were also different sections within the government such as the assembly, the council, and the courts. Elections were also held where citizens could vote for the candidate that they thought was most suitable. This was based upon who would lead Athens into greatness with their knowledge, experience, and contacts from different city states. Even though is democracy existed thousands of years ago, the Athenian democracy helped lead up to the democracy we have now.