The power is in the hands of the people. Democracy developed around the same time as tyrannical government around 500 BC, when the people opposed the tyrannical type of government. The pioneer city was Athens which established the governing body of Athenian democracy called the Citizens' Assembly which included 30,000 to 40,000 citizens entitled by birth to adult men of the city of Athens. Typically 5,000 participated in the Assembly's council and met nearly 40 times a year, where they presided over foreign policy, reviewed laws, and observed leaders' behavior in matters of public order. Decisions were reached through public debate and voting, and a small group of 500 people were chosen to manage the day-to-day governance activities. Conclusion Ancient Greek systems of government took many forms: monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy. Since the Greek city-states were autonomous entities and not tied together by any kind of central control or empire, as in other ancient civilizations, various different governance formats developed independently and allowed for experimentation and change. However it must be said that Greece is the mother of the democratic government used by so many today