Democratic procedure for expelling citizens

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ostracism</span>

Ostracism

<p><b>Ostracism</b> (<a href="/en/Greek_language" title="Greek language" class="wl">Greek</a><span>: </span><span>ὀστρακισμός</span>, <i>ostrakismos</i>) was an <a href="/en/Athenian_democracy" title="Athenian democracy" class="wl">Athenian democratic</a> procedure in which any <a href="/en/Citizen" title="Citizen" class="mw-redirect wl">citizen</a> could be <a href="/en/Exile" title="Exile" class="wl">expelled</a> from the <a href="/en/City-state" title="City-state" class="wl">city-state</a> of <a href="/en/Athens" title="Athens" class="wl">Athens</a> for ten years. While some instances clearly expressed popular anger at the citizen, ostracism was often used preemptively. It was used as a way of neutralizing someone thought to be a threat to the state or a potential <a href="/en/Tyrant" title="Tyrant" class="wl">tyrant</a>, though in many cases popular opinion often informed the expulsion. The word 
"<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ostracism" title="wiktionary:ostracism" class="extiw" target="_blank">ostracism</a>" continues to be used for various cases of social <a href="/en/Shunning" title="Shunning" class="wl">shunning</a>.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Democratic procedure for expelling citizens</div>
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Ostracism was an Athenian democratic procedure in which any citizen could be expelled from the city-state of Athens for ten years. While some instances clearly expressed popular anger at the citizen, ostracism was often used preemptively. It was used as a way of neutralizing someone thought to be a threat to the state or a potential tyrant, though in many cases popular opinion often informed the expulsion. The word 
"ostracism" continues to be used for various cases of social shunning. 