Final answer:
Tyrants in ancient Greece garnered the support of the middle and lower classes by implementing measures that benefited these groups economically and politically. The middle and lower classes, in turn, supported tyrants who lacked official status, ensuring their rulers could maintain political power and stave off civil conflicts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tyrants of Greece and the middle and lower classes benefited from each other during a period known as the "Age of Tyrants" between 650-500 BCE. The tyrants, who lacked official political status, often seized lands of aristocrats to distribute them to free citizens, provided jobs through public works, and promoted trade. This, in turn, garnered the support of the middle and lower classes, who were seeking protection and a more significant voice in governance.
This collaboration was a means to stave off civil conflict and provided mutual benefit: the middle and lower classes received economic gains and political representation, while tyrants obtained the support necessary to maintain their power.
In many city-states, the rise of tyrannies was a result of the demands of hoplites for better political representation, and these tyrants were appointed by the citizens to resolve conflicts and maintain balance between the different social classes. Although tyrants were generally aristocrats themselves, they ensured the political stability by answering to the needs of the common people. In return, the tyrants relied on the support of the non-aristocratic classes for political power. Gradually, as demands for a more equitable system grew, oligarchy replaced both aristocracies and tyrannies, allowing broader participation in governance, although still primarily benefiting the wealthier citizens.