Cleisthenes created the foundation for democracy in Athens by creating a council of 500 citizens who were everyday citizens. ... In the creation of the Athenian Empire, the Delian League had the role of aiding city-states that supported Athens whenever they needed help; it was a mutual defense alliance.
Cleisthenes successfully allied himself with the popular Assembly against the nobles (508) and imposed democratic reform. ... Perhaps his most important innovation was the basing of individual political responsibility on citizenship of a place rather than on membership in a clan
