Causes and characteristics of colonization in ancient Greece

From the eighth century to the sixth century BC, while the city-state was formed, the Greeks carried out extensive overseas colonial movements. Colonization extended to most parts of the Mediterranean and the entire Black Sea coast, so it was called "Great Colonization" in history. The Great Colonization was caused by the economic and political conditions of Greek society at that time. At this time, a large number of colonists appeared for the following reasons: 1, the internal political struggle in the city season was fierce, and the groups that failed in the struggle could not stand in the polis and moved out one after another. At that time, industry and commerce were relatively developed. Industrial and commercial slave owners are very active. In order to seek more sources of raw materials and slaves, they found another way to establish commercial strongholds in other places. Their commercial strongholds gradually formed city-states. There is a serious polarization between the rich and the poor in society. In the process of polarization between the rich and the poor, indebted farmers have to flow out one after another in order to make a living. 4. "The pressure of surplus population on productivity". Within the narrow city-state, the level of productivity development at that time could not meet the needs of more people. "The only way out is forced immigration." For example, in the late 7th century BC, there was a severe drought in Tello Island, and there was no rain for seven years, so residents were forced to draw lots to choose one of the two brothers to colonize Culene in Leah. After the colonists arrived at their destination, they immediately drove away or enslaved the aborigines, distributed land, promoted the mode of slavery production, and established a new city-state. This city-state generally implements the political system of the mother country, but it is politically independent rather than dependent on the mother country. The Greeks colonized a wide range, from Sicily, Spain, France and southern Italy in the west to the north shore of Africa in the south, but because of Upper Egypt and Carthage (the colony of Phoenicia), the occupied area was very small. East and northeast to Asia Minor and the Black Sea coast. The colonial movement had the following three effects: 1, which caused great disasters to the colonial people. The nature of the migration movement belongs to a kind of political and economic expansion, and the relationship between the immigrant city-state and the original home country is the relationship of aggression, dual service and exploitation. Greek colonists invaded the land of the aborigines, plundered slaves, plundered materials, engaged in commercial exploitation and piracy, which caused great disasters to the aborigines in the colonies. 2. It promoted the development of industry and commerce and strengthened the industrial and commercial slave owners. The alliance between industrial and commercial slave owners and civilians is a major feature of Greek urban political development, especially in the industrialized city-states represented by Athens. The industrial and commercial slave owners and civilians joined forces to resist the exclusive regime of the gentry and nobles, and finally won through the struggle with the nobles, and finally replaced the aristocratic politics with slavery democracy. Only Sparta, the regime has maintained the form of aristocratic politics for a long time. Therefore, the development of industry and commerce, the growth of the industrial and commercial slave class, and the alliance with the civilians have promoted the struggle of the civilians against the nobility to a certain extent. 3. It strengthened the contact between the polis and overseas places, objectively promoted the economic and cultural exchanges between the polis and the Greeks and colonists, and provided convenience for Greece to contact and absorb the cultures of Egypt, Babylon and Phoenicia.

In fact, overpopulation is the most fundamental reason of ancient Greek colonization.

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