Does Plato's Republic Propose A Rigid Class System?

I agree; it's over-rated.

I wouldn't be too quick to attribute democratic virtue to Athens, however. Slavery was the disease of the ancient world, and it existed in Attica, too. Less than 10% of adult Attic males were eligible to vote--slaves, "foreigners" and those who were not freeholders within Athens could not vote. So, for example, you could be a successful famer in Attica, the descendant of generations of successful farmers in Attica, but if you did not own property within the city, you could not vote. That despite the fact that the city determined policy for the entire state. Attica was the territory within which Athens was located.

Isn't one of the other problems with democracy that our representatives only seem to be concerned with the electorate when it comes to elections. For the rest of the time they're fairly free to do what they want

The establishment of "democracy" in Athens was nothing more than an expansion of the oligarchy. Property requirements for the franchise simply make the oligarchy plutocratic rather than aristocratic. England's first reform bill simply expanded a limited franchise based on property by a limited lessening of the property requirement. The best work of the first reform bill was the elimination of rotten boroughs--otherwise is was just a plutocratic expansion of the oligarchy.

It's hilarious to assert that trying people at the expiration of a term of office represents some democratic innovation at Athens. The Athenians were legendarily petty and suspicious with one another. To institutionalize back-stabbing hardly qualifies as some sort of democratic innovation.

I suggest, not without historical support, that what lead Athens into the Peloponnesia war was the invasion of Attica by Sparta and her allies. But don't let me spoil your fun.

Oh we won't Setanta. You needn't worry about that.

I think Plato's idealistic utopias resulted from a search for something, anything, different stemming from his disgust at his much admired teacher being sentenced to death for corrupting the youth with enquiries into the scientific method.

You're living in fantasy land. Read up on the Delian League sometime. Athens was increasingly tyrannical, leading to the revolt of the hegemonic clients they had co-opted. Those people, who ought to have been their allies, were enraged at generations of being mulcted to support the Athenian empire, and they responded by standing aside as Athens was brought down, in those cases in which they didn't actually join in the attack.

You just make this **** up as you go along, don't you? Thanks for the laughs, Bubba.

“Unless,” said I, “either philosophers become kings in our states or those whom we now call our kings and rulers take to the pursuit of philosophy seriously and adequately, and there is a conjunction of these two things, political power and philosophic intelligence, while the motley horde of the natures who at present pursue either apart from the other are compulsorily excluded, there can be no cessation of troubles, dear Glaucon, for our states, nor, I fancy, for the human race either. Nor, until this happens, will this constitution which we have been expounding in theory ever be put into practice within the limits of possibility and see the light of the sun."
-The Republic, 473

And when persons who are unworthy of education approach philosophy and make an alliance with her who is in a rank above them, what sort of ideas and opinions are likely to be generated? Will they not be sophisms captivating to the ear, having nothing in them genuine, or worthy of or akin to true wisdom?

No doubt, he said.

Then, Adeimantus, I said, the worthy disciples of philosophy will be but a small remnant: perchance some noble and well-educated person, detained by exile in her service, who in the absence of corrupting influences remains devoted to her; or some lofty soul born in a mean city, the politics of which he contemns and neglects; and there may be a gifted few who leave the arts, which they justly despise, and come to her;—or peradventure there are some who are restrained by our friend Theages’ bridle; for everything in the life of Theages conspired to divert him from philosophy; but ill-health kept him away from politics. My own case of the internal sign is hardly worth mentioning, for rarely, if ever, has such a monitor been given to any other man. Those who belong to this small class have tasted how sweet and blessed a possession philosophy is, and have also seen enough of the madness of the multitude; and they know that no politician is honest, nor is there any champion of justice at whose side they may fight and be saved. Such an one may be compared to a man who has fallen among wild beasts—he will not join in the wickedness of his fellows, but neither is he able singly to resist all their fierce natures, and therefore seeing that he would be of no use to the State or to his friends, and reflecting that he would have to throw away his life without doing any good either to himself or others, he holds his peace, and goes his own way. He is like one who, in the storm of dust and sleet which the driving wind hurries along, retires under the shelter of a wall; and seeing the rest of mankind full of wickedness, he is content, if only he can live his own life and be pure from evil or unrighteousness, and depart in peace and good-will, with bright hopes.
-The Republic, 496

They will begin by sending out into the country all the inhabitants of the city who are more than ten years old, and will take possession of their children, who will be unaffected by the habits of their parents; these they will train in their own habits and laws, I mean in the laws which we have given them: and in this way the State and constitution of which we were speaking will soonest and most easily attain happiness, and the nation which has such a constitution will gain most.
-The Republic, 541