Sparta was one of the most powerful city-states in Ancient Greece, and probably it earned its status for a good reason. Spartans valued strengths of its army probably the most. Perhaps on the one side it's a really good thing, but life it's not only war, and I don't think that it was really smart to turn every man into killing machine and kill those who could not become one. Athens, for example, became really powerful city-state using different ways, and I think people were a bit happier there. Boys were taken from their parents and taught to kill from the age of seven, and probably not everyone would like that. Although it's hard to tell, if a man never knew different life, he might be happy with his life as it is. They were taught that it is duty of every citizen, and, I guess, if you are really patriotic you will be happy to serve in name of you country no matter how hard it is.
Ruins of Ancient Sparta, Greece.
Parthenon from west
Das Menelaion bei SpartaCitizens of Sparta were taught to think alike to keep them from fighting because it might encourage slave to rebel. They did not surround themselves with luxuries, expensive foods, or opportunities for leisure.
Women had a lot more freedom in Sparta than probably in any other city-state, and that, I think, indicates some kind of advanced democracy. Sparta was the only one Greek city-state that paid so much attention to education of women. But at the same time Spartans kept a lot of Messenian slaves or helots who didn't have any rights. They worked small plots of land on estates owned by Spartans; part of their produce went to the master of the estate, and the remainder went to the helot farmer and his family. Spartans would...