For nearly two centuries, Athens was a democracy. Hardly anybody at the time had a good word to say for this! I propose to explore how they got there, what the arrangements were (in theory and practice), and the views of various Athenians at the time such as Thucydides (unsuccessful general and historian), Aristophanes (comic dramatist), the "Old Oligarch" (whatever he was), Alcibiades (general, probably blasphemer, and sometimes traitor), Plato (philosopher), and Pericles (general and in practice one-man ruler) - with a glance at Socrates. No knowledge of ancient Greek will be required. I will suggest some reading for those who want to explore further.