Sociología de la stásis, 1. El dêmos y los oligarcas en 411 a.C.

This study, which is divided in two papers (I: The Demos and the Oligarchs in 411BC; and II: The Social Support of the Thirty and that of the Demos in 404/3 BC), evaluates thesocial support that revolutionary movements in Athens gets at the end of the 5th century BC.Specialists believe that Athenian citizens are split into two parts, depending on whether theyare for or against democracy. However, this essay shows that demos’ political consciousness wasin fact almost non-existent. Despite its preference for a popular power system, the multitude remainsquiet without the direction of its democratic leaders, who act driven not by principles, butby prospects of power or just patriotism. Something similar happens to the leaders of oligarchy:only a few are true ideologists (Antiphont or Critias for example). Most of them just display theirdiscomfort with how democracy has been corrupted by a handful of demagogues, but show thatthey feel ready to quit the oligarchic project as soon as any further difficulty arises. It is not ideologicalconvictions, but personal motives or their positions on the war, that cause disaffectionamong revolutionary groups. Therefore it should be taken seriously what Thucydides said aboutthose who are «in the middle» in a sta´sis, that is, citizens who did not take sides; and about thearguments that «those of the city» (citizens who support the power of the Thirty) expressed duringjudicial processes and the dokiması´ai.