Party Life of the Athens of Socrates’ Time

The article attempts to reconstruct the system of political views of Socrates in the context of history of Athenian political parties in the second half of the 5th century BC. According to the author, this approach can overcome the difficulties associated with the scarcity and, often, the unreliability of early sources about Socrates. The article reveals the political background of the formation of the teachings of Socrates, the motivation for him to take a certain political position at different times, and, above all, his anti-democratic attitude.