Building from Failure: Breakthrough in Greece, discussion help

Building from Failure:  Breakthrough in Greece

Bill Gates:"It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.....

Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."

A Greek Breakthrough

Most of us have grown up in a democratic society and we tend to be mystified when other nations struggle trying to adopt it.  But history's first democratic breakthrough occurred in Athens, Greece, and it did not come without struggle, even back-steps for a period.  And "democracy" was not really the goal for most of the process. 

Use the chapters assigned for this week and the EXPLORE items below as the basis of your own contributions. 

Review the pages and links below about ancient Athens' steps and process in achieving an early form of democracy, including failures or backwards steps.  Then discuss lessons that can be connected to current day political developments or to developing decision-making arrangements in the workplace. 

EXPLORE

• Chapter 4:  pp. 124-5. (perhaps glance also at pp. 136-139).
• See  http://www.ancientathens.org/government/athenian-government-prior-democracy  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtn-BZH_xU0  .