Question

Why did tyranny lose power

Answer 1

The best-known tyrannies were those founded by Cypselus at Corinth and Orthagoras at Sicyon about 650 BCE. There were tyrants also in Asiatic Greece, the most famous of whom was Thrasybulus of Miletus (c. 600). The tyrants often sprang from the fringe of the aristocracy; for example, the mother of Cypselus belonged to the ruling clan of the Bacchiads, but his father did not. The nature of the public discontent that provided them with a following may have varied from place to place. At Sicyon, Cleisthenes, who ruled from about 600 to about 570 and was the most successful of the Orthagorids, expressed or exploited the resentment felt by the non-Dorian and underprivileged element in society toward those who claimed descent from the Dorian invaders. Some historians have supposed that the introduction of the hoplite phalanx early in the 7th century led to the development of a class of substantial farmers, who served in the phalanx and supported the tyrants as their champions against the aristocracies. But although the tyrants may have made use of hoplite tactics, substantial farmers were probably a conservative, not a revolutionary, force, and there is no reason to suppose that farmer-hoplites developed class consciousness.

Answer 2

Greek Tyrants

A tyrant was the leader of a tyranny, just as a monarch ruled the monarchy. Since they weren't elected (as democratic rulers were) and didn't fall within traditions of hereditary succession (as monarchical rulers did), tyrants often had to find creative ways to justify their power.