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The history of western political thought almost invariably refers back to themes first broached by Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. This introductory text is designed for undergraduates approaching the political thought of these three philosophers for the first time. Adrian Oldfield examines the political thought of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle against the background of Athenian values and political practices, as exemplified both in the Assembly of Citizens and the law courts, and in the experience of the Athenian Empire during the Peloponnesian War. They all claim that human happiness depends upon living a "good life" - informed by the co-operative virtues of justice and moderation, rather than one pursued according to the competitive virtues of courage and ambition. A satisfactory ordering of political practices depends upon a satisfactory ordering of the souls of those who either engage in these pratices, or are subject to them: ordered cities depend upon ordered souls. Political reform requires moral re-education.