Abstract George Grote's History of Greece (1846–56) was instrumental in overturning the traditional view of Athens as an oppressive and corrupt society. In particular, Grote's rewriting of the story of the Athenian demagogue Cleon illustrates the difficulties he faced in attempting to argue for the legitimacy of popular government and popular rhetoric. His defense of Cleon—and more broadly, his defense of rhetorical democracy—helped to challenge the ascendancy of rhetoric as belles lettres and to stimulate the modern revival of Athenian popular rhetoric.

Abstract In an age in which “democracy”; is viewed as synonymous for legitimacy in government, it is easy to overestimate the positive influence of Athenian democracy on the history of rhetoric and politics. However, a survey of eighteenth‐century commentaries on ancient Greece reveals consistent hostility toward the underpinning rhetorical dynamic of Athenian popular government. An understanding of the anti‐Athenian tradition is useful because it clarifies political assumptions that inform rhetorics of the early‐modern period. More broadly, it also demonstrates the importance of the historical relationship between rhetorical studies and classical studies.