Spartan Life and the Power of the Middle Class

While reading about Sparta I was initially shocked to hear about the timeline that the men followed. For many, life as a citizen did not even start until the age of 30, and to be participating on the council you had to be 60 years of age. I guess my initial understanding was that most individuals during this time period were lucky to reach the age of 30 let alone 60. I guess I was naïve to the fact that their quality of life was much more advanced then in the coming generations.
It was also interesting to see the similarities in the relationship between the helots and Spartans, and the slaves and American land owners. I do not condone slavery in anyway and I find it completely appalling and immoral. However the similarities between the Spartans and plantation owners can not be ignored. The system of life that was brought about due to slavery is almost identical. The slave population in America began to exceed that of their white counterparts in some areas, and in response measures had to be taken to if need be suppress a rebellion. In Sparta a similar thinking was involved, and with the slave population greatly outnumbering the Spartan population Sparta had to become a completely militaristic society. In both cases the economy of the nations was based completely on the production from the slaves. Both were utterly oppressive societies that in the end could never prosper due to the evil of slavery.
When talking about democracy Aristotle hit it right on the head when he said that the middle class held the power in a democracy. He goes on to say a city state with a strong middle class will prosper, because a city made up of masters and slaves is more likely to form dissension and fall apart. This again reminds me of the society we live in today; where the middle class is that buffer which ultimately decides much of the democratic process. You can see the genius of Aristotle now thousands of years later, because what he said is coming true today.