On the pre-conditions that ultimately led to true democracy in Athens

Why did democracy first appear in ancient Athens as opposed to somewhere else?  That is one of the driving questions in my exploration of ancient history. 

Here is one of the more cogent answers:

“The change in the Greek world in this so-called Archaic Age was driven by many interconnected factors: the waves of colonisation that brought Greeks into contact with other lands and cultures; expanded economic opportunities that broke the monopoly of the aristocracy on wealth and gave rise to a larger, less dependent and more influential middle class; changing military requirements that further strengthened the place of the middle class; degeneration in aristocratic rule, bringing corruption, increased factional strife and alienation of the lower classes; a cultural revolution that ushered in an era of liberated creativity, in which individualism, rationalism and intellectual freedom came to the fore. All of these developments heightened political awareness and fed into a demand for social and political change. Initially the demand centred not on issues of power and its distribution, but on that most basic of personal rights, freedom from arbitrary domination by those in authority. The demand became more urgent as the ruling elites lost the trust of the people, and it crystallised around calls for justice and a rule of law.”

— Democracy's Beginning: The Athenian Story by Thomas N. Mitchell

https://a.co/ddHwMKU

For a more in-depth analysis of this question I suggest re-reading the first chapter of this book. Mitchell emphasizes the primary importance of justice, as well as the influence of Hesiod, Solon, and even Peisistratus, as part of the necessary pre-conditions for democracy.