Political tensions Another tension within every polis was the political competition between aristocratic elites, many of whom had
competing agendas. The aristocrats of the ancient world were not all dear friends, they were fierce competitors
who contended for political standing, and control of resources. Just like in modern politics, they formed
alliances with other powerful men, and sometime with groups of commoners when it benefited them. Almost
all Greek poleis found it difficult to balance the ambitions of these competing factions and, consequently,
relationships were strained and often threatened civil war. The combination of economic insecurity and debt
that continually threatened the class of small farmers and the political factionalism between ambitious elites
made the Greek city states politically volatile places.

Q: Based on the paragraph you just read, briefly explain in 3 sentences why Greek city states were plagued
with economic and political tensions in the archaic age.