<P> This balance of participation, obligations and rights constituted the essence of citizenship, together with the feeling that there was a common interest which imposed its obligations on everyone . </P> <P> Hosking noticed that citizenship was "relatively narrowly distributed" and excluded all women, all minors, all slaves, all immigrants, and most colonials, that is, citizens who left their city to start another usually lost their rights from their city - state of origin . Many historians felt this exclusiveness was a weakness in Athenian society, according to Hosking, but he noted that there were perhaps 50,000 Athenian citizens overall, and that at most, a tenth of these ever took part in an actual assembly at any one time . Hosking argued that if citizenship had been spread more widely, it would have hurt solidarity . Pocock expresses a similar sentiment and noted that citizenship requires a certain distance from the day - to - day drudgery of daily living . Greek males solved this problem to some extent with the subjugation of women as well as the institution of slavery which freed their schedules so they could participate in the assembly . Pocock asked: for citizenship to happen, was it necessary to prevent free people from becoming "too much involved in the world of things"? Or, could citizenship be extended to working class persons, and if so, what does this mean for the nature of citizenship itself? </P> <P> The philosopher Plato envisioned a warrior class similar to the Spartan conception in that these persons did not engage in farming, business, or handicrafts, but their main duty was to prepare for war: to train, to exercise, to train, to exercise, constantly . Like the Spartan practice, Plato's idealized community was one of citizens who kept common meals to build common bonds . Citizenship status, in Plato's ideal view, was inherited . There were four separate classes . There were penalties for failing to vote . A key part of citizenship was obeying the law and being "deferent to the social and political system" and having internal self - control . </P> <P> Writing a generation after Plato, and in contrast with his teacher, Aristotle did not like Sparta's commune - oriented approach . He felt Sparta's land allocation system as well as the communal meals led to a world in which rich and poor were polarized . He recognized differences in citizenship patterns based on age: the young were "underdeveloped" citizens, while the elderly were "superannuated" citizens . And he noted that it was hard to classify the citizenship status of some persons, such as resident aliens who still had access to courts, or citizens who had lost their citizenship franchise . </P>

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