Final answer:
The people of Athens were unhappy after Solon's reforms due to persistent social divides, the continued power of the aristocracy, and the inability of Solon's measures to fully address civil unrest and eliminate the desire for tyrannical rule.
Step-by-step explanation:
The people of Athens remained unhappy after Solon's reforms for several reasons. While Solon's laws provided debt relief and challenged the power of aristocrats by enacting measures such as cancelling debts, abolishing debt-slavery, and ensuring political participation through the Council of Four Hundred, they did not eliminate societal divides. The aristocracy still held considerable power and wealth, and his reforms did not end civil unrest or the ambitions of those who wished to rule as tyrants. Furthermore, some later rulers, while distributing land and sponsoring building projects, did little to completely overthrow the dominance of the old families, maintaining social tensions within Athenian society.
Despite Solon's intentions to mitigate the worst of the social divides between the rich and poor, his reforms allowed only the wealthiest to hold high governmental positions such as magistrate or membership in the Council, while the poorest citizens were exempt from taxes but also relegated to lesser political roles. This hierarchical system based on wealth continued to reflect and perpetuate existing social disparities.
Ultimately, while Solon introduced significant changes and moved towards the notion of an impersonal state governed by written laws, the Athenians still faced a period of instability. This cumulative dissatisfaction led to ongoing changes in governance, including the rule of benevolent tyrants like Pisistratus who kept Solon's reforms but did not completely address the underlying issues, and the eventual rise of democratic reforms under Cleisthenes, who further restructured the government in an effort to unite the Athenians and expand representation.