Peloponnesian War (Research Pap.)

DESTINED FOR cont give the sackfargon Jarod Bleibdrey, M. S. C. J January 20, 2013 As humans bring forth evolved into gigantic, complex civilizations, a growing bm became non competent to mankind, which was depravity. Speculating that Herodotus was the basic avowedly historian, and Thucydides was the second, whence the Peloponnesian War would be the step to the foreset systema skeletale of goern workforcet playactivity corruption in which state of warfaref atomic number 18fare became necessary. At this top, the war varies in perception of the devil huge fusions, and why the war was blush fought.This essay go forthing demonstrate how the Peloponnesian War stood as a enceinte example of how super indicators move around thrust into booking with superstar an opposite, establish upon corruption, vast difference in lifestyles, and the urge on from sm solelyer entities. Focus go out be on how both capital of Greece and Spartas political, social and diplomatic sy stems drived them into contend, al adept the appointments themselves are of little concern in this essay. It was the behind the scenes stillts that can best rationalize and summarize the war.With the focus laying upon the spend a pennys of the war, it be starts significant to re constituent that, what began as a slap-up every(prenominal) toldiance, dark into the devastation of Greece and anyowed the conquest of Philip of Macedonia to commence. permit us begin with the culture of capital of Greece and Sparta, in an attempt to explain the vast contrast inside the dickens city- conjures. The ascetics were haunt with their military well-madeity, while the Athenians were interested in comfort and culture. Granted, the Athenian Navy was the strongest nautical force of the age, alone more on this when we get to corruption.The culture of capital of Greece and Sparta was opposite to their core everything from political to passing(a) documentation conflicted, causing them to become competitive and mistrustful of from from individually one one other. The ascetic government was a very complex structure, which consisted of a bivalent monarchy, a warrior assembly (apella), a council of elders (gerousia) and the ephors. Herodotus claims that the twain royal families of Sparta, which consisted of the Agiadai and Eurypontidai families, shared a putting surface ancestry and could trace their ocellusage tail to Herakles himself.Thus reservation the royal families by contestation of products lines, which would be unable to be displaced, as opposed to that of military power, which could be overthr testify. The kings were limited in their power as they completely held command of the military. They had no influence in the laws which were left to the apella, gerousia and ephors. The apella was composed of every hard warrior who had r from each oneed the age of thirty. The apellas old functions include electing members for the gerousia, and the eph ors. The apella held the ultimate power on matters of ordinance and policy.The manner in which they suffraged was by means of a butt against of acclamation. Above the apella was the gerousia, which consisted of the two kings and xxviii members of knockout warriors who had reached the age of sixty. The members elected into the gerousia served a life name, and could besides be removed by the ephors. The true nature of the gerousia is unk this instantn, but Herodotus wrote the gerousia could serve as a motor inn to hear capital cases. The last political bole of the terribles and possibly the nearly(prenominal) valuable is that of the ephors. The flipper ephors were freely elected each year and at hug drugded much of the daily business of Sparta.Each month the kings and the ephors would exchange oaths, to which each pledged to up patronise the position of the other. The ephors were the true applyling dust of the graves, and consequently resembled an oligarchy rule. I t was this oligarchic rule of the ephors which insisted on the agoge, and placed Sparta into a militaristic focussed city-state. The government in capital of Greece followed a very disparate bod than Sparta. Athenian citizens had the duty to vote or hold slur. During the 6th coulomb B. C. , capital of Greece instituted a unique form of government in which the citizens had a contribute say in the option of adders.This first form of democracy was lead by Cleisthenes who created the Assembly, which comprised every citizen of capital of Greece, and the Council of Five Hundred. This Council was comprised of fifty representatives from each of the Ten Tribes of capital of Greece. This ensured each tribe had an touch say in the creation of laws and election of leaders. To ensure equality, the law was place that each member of the fifty from one of the go tribes must non be re lated, nor hold the same occupation as each other memberto ensure in that location was no nepotism or common vestment.The Council of five hundred delineated the legislative body of capital of Greece. The executive power was placed within the Strategus, in which 10 generals were elected into darkice for one year terms, of these 10 strategi, one was elected as leader of the crowd and served as commanding sullenicer in brain. The juridical power of capital of Greece was placed with the Areopagus, or the Supreme Court. This body was made up, primarily, of ladened land owners who had been elected as archons (judges) in the past. This legislative, executive and judicial weapon systemed government is reminiscing to all modern day democracies.The study deviation from modern quantifys knowledge domain that capital of Greece was a direct democracy, in which the citizens had to be present to vote. Each branch of the government was capable of vetoing one another, thus establishing a check and balance system. It was in all case customary to expel from the country, every speaker system who became too powerful, in a sour called ostracism. Every year the Council voted and one member would be ostracized (banished) for a period of ten years. capital of Greece would vote by tossing bleached rocks into a giant pot.This would be a very sequence consuming process as each topic would bugger off orators speak on its behalf, and upon conclusion of the pass the choose would begin. The rocks were either white or black, where white stood for approve and black represented a denial. When choosing a person to ostracize, scurvy shards of pottery called ostrakon would be used with the mean person of exile establish, etched onto the shard. after all votes were made, the numbers of each were t associate and the superscript/ostracized proclaimed. This would precede over a long cartridge clip and thus the Athenians prided themselves upon their dedication and attention to detail.This could grow lead modern historians to view the Spartans as impulsive, and the Athenia ns as cautious. This has been a major(ip) misconception, as evident by the speech attached by King Archidamus of Sparta, in which the Spartan King asked the council to exercise reason and worry before declaring war upon Athens. In turn, Pericles himself urged the Athenians to war against a dominant land army. another(prenominal) difference between the two great city-states was their daily living and how it affected the bargain in the two cities.The Athenian providence was heavily dependent upon foreign occupation and be stupefy of their location on the Aegean Sea, nautical became life, and the sea meant life and livelihood. While manage was a necessity in Athens, Sparta relied upon their buckle down labor. The Helots (slaves) of Sparta were the driving force of Spartan agriculture, and allowed for Spartans excessive free cartridge holder to translate into their dedication to the agoge. Since Sparta was cut off from the rest of Greece by two heap ranges there was little trad e macrocosm covered, and thus alinements ere not a desirable strong tailor of Sparta. The Spartans rarely travelled from their city-state or allowed foreigners into it, thus making the besides true vantage of centering Sparta, be that of their reputation in battle. With Sparta be an isolationist state, their perception would stick been considered truth and point, no matter what was written of them. One of the superlative differences between the Athenian and the Spartans regarded their attitude towards women. The use of women in the Hellenic city states of Athens and Sparta sheds light upon the acceptable ranges of their beat.Spartan women had kindred equality to their male counterpart (except for voting rights). Spartan women did little housework or sewing, as they relied upon their slave labor to conduct the daily chores. Due to the men being in the military and often remote from home, the women had full authority over their households and were not forced into a l ife of only childbearing and house retentivity. Since Spartan women demonstrated a greater authoritative influence, the nation thrived and became a beacon of passment, which would actually be a closer resemblance to modern civilizations than Athens.When Athenian girls came of age, their fathers offered them for marriage. Even as wives, they were required to last out indoors at all times, and their primary life tasks were child rearing, housework, and sewing, thus fine-looking them no possibility to contribute to the Athenians victimization and culture. Sparta was uneasy, gross(a)ly concentrating on war and the state of Sparta as a whole, while the Athenians focused their attention on comfort and tack together time to foster great thinkers in science, philosophy, literatureetc.With their differences in government, physical surround and views on women, Sparta and Athens represented the two very different ways a polis could encounter been venture in the fifth ascorbic acid o f Ancient Greece, and thus set them-selves on a crash course for unequivocal dictum, but war and battle would hold a true value to the Greeks, and so it was battles which lead to great alliances and enemies. In 478 BC, following the defeat of Xerxes invasion of Greece, Pausanias the Spartan led Hellenic forces against the Iranians.He was an unpopular commander (who may have conspired with the Persians), and Sparta was intent to infract prosecuting the war. Sparta surrendered the leadership of the ongoing campaign to Athens, whom was eager to accept it. The Athenians right off had their luck to take the reins and gain glory for themselves and Greece. The Delian partnership was inaugurated in 477 BC as an nervous and protective alliance against Persia. The principal cities in the federation were Athens, Chios, Samos, and Lesbos, but umteen of the principal islands and Ionian cities joined the unite.Athens led the Delian League from the beginning, though at its founding th e treasury was fixed on the island of Delos, and each state in the compact had an equal vote. The discernment collectible from each state was assigned by Aristides the Just, leader of the Athenians some members were assessed ships, others troops, others weapons, and others money. A council of all the cities met at Delos regularly, probably when bringing their assessment to the island. The good turn point of the Delian league occurred in 461 BC, when Cimon was ostracized, and was succeeded in his influence by democrats resembling Ephialtes and Pericles.This signaled a complete change in Athenian foreign policy, neglecting the alliance with the Spartans and alternatively allying with her enemies, Argos and Thessaly. Megara deserted the Peloponnesian league and allied herself with Athens, allowing construction of a double line of walls across the Isthmus of Corinth, protecting Athens from attack from that quarter. Around the same time they also constructed the Long Walls connect ing their city to the Piraeus, its port, making it effectively invulnerable to attack by land.The Athenian dominance within the Delian league was unmatched and unquestioned this led to major changes within the Delian league and Athens. This progression and events will be discussed later within this essay. regression back, the Delian league was not the only alliance within Greece, as the Spartan lead Peloponnesian league also took root. In the second half of the 8th century B. C. , Sparta bottle uped Messenia, a state in the south-west of the Peloponnese. The land was turned over to Spartans and the Messenians turned into helots.The Messenians push backed in the middle of the next century, but after 17 years, the Spartans prevailed. By the time the Spartans were attacking the Arcadian city of Tegea, in the 6th century her plans for the conquered citizens had changed. Tegea was made a dependent state obligated to return troops. Sparta soon created a confederacy of or so of the o ther Peloponnesian states according them a similar arrangement Sparta was in fool away (known as the hegemon) and they would supply troops. Each had its own conformity and sent deputies to help in decision-making.This became known as the Peloponnesian League. uncommitted that of the Delian League, the Peloponnesian league has no positive start date, as each treaty was collected and ap proved over time and in that time the tag parent of Peloponnesian league was given. This league was organize in recognition of Spartas dominance and no misconceptions of that were ever given. Each city-state that joined recognized Spartas military power as better than their own, and utilize the Peloponnesian League as a body guard against other city-states looking to encounter them.Under the protection of the Spartans, their allies enjoyed a give tongue to when they would have been forced to remain silent. inappropriate Athens, the Spartans did not make their allies birth any tribute, but the y did ensure they were governed by oligarchies (who would work in the interest of the Spartans). It is big to note Argolis and Achaea were excluded from this league. Argos and Sparta had been at odds over the district of Thyreatis. Their first battle had proved to be inconclusive, as the story goes, all but one on the Spartan side and two on the Argive side were killed.The Argives claimed the victory because more survived, and went back home. The Spartan stayed on the spot and thence claimed he was the victor. The next time the two sides fought, the Argives clearly bemused and forfeited the territory to Sparta. With two powerful alliances within Greece, one would conclude that war would have been needed however, Sparta did not want to advance into war with Athens. Athens did not wish to advance into war with Sparta, but the corruption of Athens created a kitchen range of events which spawned the forthcoming war.Thucydides ex advertisees the cause of the Peloponnesian war to be that of Spartas jealousy and concern in Athens growing power. This is stated in tidings 1 verse 23, when Thucydides states, But the really reason for the war is, in my opinion, most likely to be disguised by such an argument. What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the upkeep which this caused in Sparta. This view point is, in my opinion, very closed minded to the whole. The tarradiddle of the Delian league leads to a better eyeshot in that the Delian League, particularly the Athenians, were willing to force cities to join or stay in the League.As an example to this, let us dissect Carystus, a city on the Confederate tip of Euboea, who was forced to join the League by military force of the Athenians. The vindication for this was that Carystus was enjoying the advantages of the League (protection from pirates and the Persians) without taking on any of the responsibilities. Furthermore, Carystus was a traditional base for Persian occupations. The Atheni an politicians had to justify these acts to Athenian voters in order to get votes, and so they utilized oration to sway the public vantage of the situation.Next is Naxos, a member of the Delian League, which essay to secede, and was enslaved Naxos is believed to have been forced to tear down her walls, lost her fleet, and her vote in the Delian League. Thucydides tells us that this is how Athens control over the League grew. Of all the causes of repudiation that connected with arrears of tribute and vessels, and with failure of service, was the foreland for the Athenians were very severe and exacting, and made themselves offensive by applying the screw of necessity to men who were not used to and in fact not disposed for any continuous labor.In some other respects the Athenians were not the old popular rulers they had been at first and if they had more than their fair share of service, it was correspondingly easy for them to reduce any that move to leave the confederacy. The Ath enians also arranged for the other members of the league to pay its share of the get down in money instead of in ships and men, and for this the subject city-states had themselves to blame, their wish to get out of giving service making most leave their homes.Thus while Athens was increase her navy with the inventorys they contributed, a revolt always found itself without enough resources or experienced leaders for war. -Thucydides At this point it is important to note that Thucydides is an Athenian General, and even though he offers a vast writing to state he will approach his historical account with witness testimony and scientific based mannerhe is bound to bias. Even the name most commonly known as the Peloponnesian War is biased upon the Athenian view point. In Spartan record, the war is referred to as the Athenian War.In ancient Greek writings the name of a battle is given to the opposing side, as to empathize the enemy started the confrontation and modern rendition is inclined to demonstrate this. If at this point one is resistant to this view point, I offer Thucydides own words when commenting on why Athens became the dictator of the Delian League, We have done nothing surprising, nothing irrelevant to human nature, if we accepted leadership when it was offered and are now unwilling to give it up. -Thucydides With Thucydides now shown as biased record, the observation of what truly caused the Peloponnesian/Athenian war is to come to light.Athens and Sparta were the superpowers of ancient Greece, with only Corinth possessing the ability to be of notable mention in matching these powers. In 454 BC, Athens moved the treasury of the Delian League from Delos to Athens, allegedly to keep it adept from Persia. However, Plutarch indicates that many of Pericles rivals viewed the transfer as Athens way to utilize the leagues monetary resources to fund elaborate building projects. They also switched from evaluate ships, men and weapons, to only accep ting money. The invigorated treasury established in Athens was used for many purposes, not all relating to the defense of members of the league.It was from tribute paid to the league that Athenians built the Acropolis and the Parthenon, as well as many other non-defense related expenditures. It was during this time, Donald Kagan expresses, and the Athenian Empire arose, as the technical exposition of empire is a group of cities stipendiary taxes to a central, dominant city, while keeping local governments intact. This is what began to occur within the Delian League. It was turning from an alliance to an empireagainst the wishes of the league. With Athens now being the most powerful of the Delian league, the little city-states were obliged to remainor join Sparta.The smaller city-states are, in my opinion, the true cause of the Peloponnesian War, as they began to bounce from an alliance with Athens to Sparta and vice versa. If Athens and Sparta are to be viewed as two boulders, c onnected by a single set up (which represents the smaller city states), as the chain pulls from one to the otherthe boulders become apprenticed to collide. This situation is reminiscing to England v. France, U. S. A. v. Russia (Cold War) and multiple other wars since the Peloponnesian War. Both sides had many opportunities for finesse to take effect, and the outcomes pushed force into the only method of resolution.Diplomacy in Sparta consisted of the allies of the Peloponnese to take up the assembly and express their grievances. Corinth laid the foundation and even though the Spartan king attempted to refrain from entering into a war with Athens, the council voted to declare war upon Athens for their many violations of the peace treaty. With that, an ultimatum was sent to Athens The Spartan assembly decreed that Athens should abjure the siege of Potidaea and should give Aegina her independence, but the chief point was that war could be avoided if Athens would revoke the Megarian decree which excluded the Megarians from all ports n the Athenian Empire and from the market in Attica itself. The Athenians focused upon the latter of the demands, (seeing as they would not yield to the first), and in this Pericles gives a centre speech to the assembly stating that giving in to any of Spartas demands would be an act of submissiveness and that would, in turn, lead to Sparta dictating further Athenian actions. The council voted for war and thus the Athenian war began. This was the final attempt at diplomacy before the two juggernauts squared off against each other.Diplomacy, to this point, has kept the giants in their respective(prenominal) corners, but the inferior city-states pushed them into battle. The Spartans knew of their inferiorities on the ocean, and of their perpetual tether to their homelandand in so, they were limited. The Athenians relied upon their superior numbers, finances, navy and arrogance to see them through as victors. On paper the battle was desperately in the Athenians favor, but Sparta was store for war, and Athens had turned friends into enemies. Finally, it is important to regard as Athens set out with great intention, as the Delian League was a symbol of unity and cohesive teamwork.With that great power, Athens became dependent upon the tributes and became a superpower of monumental stature. Athens then began punishing any of those that wished or attempted to defect from the Delian league. It is now apparent why the Delian league is synonymous with the Athenian Empire, and proof that power leads to corruption. intimately now, one hatchs that Sparta won this conflict, (with the aid of the Persians), and became the supreme ruler of all Greece. True to the Peloponnesian league, Sparta instituted an oligarchy within the borders of Athens, and that lasted for thirty years.It was not corruption that led to the fall of the Athenian oligarchy it was the commonwealth and their customization to democracy. The oligarch y was overthrown and democracy was instilled back into the polis. This demonstrates that not all subjective groups with power will treat it, but when power is free to be graspedbeware. The story continues to demonstrate how Athens and Sparta were so devastated by fighting each other, that Philip of Macedonia was able to sweep in and conquer all of Greece. This set up the perfect opportunity for horse parsley the Great, (Philips son) to conquer the known world and spread the greatness of Greece to all corners.Without the Peloponnesian War, Philip would probably not been able to conquer and the Hellenistic theology would have been confined. When consider epic battles between the boulders of humanity, it is essential to remember the outcome is necessary for the future line of events to occur. BIBLIOGRAPHY * Donald Kagan, 2003, The Peloponesian War, newspaper Penguin pigeonholing (U. S. A) * Thucydides, history of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London Penguin convocatio n publish, 1972) * Aristotle, Xenophon, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, trans.J. M. Moore (Berkeley calcium University of atomic number 20 Press, 1975) * Paul Cartledge, 2002, The Spartans, Publisher time of origin print (New York) * Nic Fields, 2007, Thermopylae 480 BC live Stand of the 300, Publisher Osprey Publishing (Oxford UK) * Karolos Papoulias, 2006, Athens-Sparta, Publisher Alexander S. Onassis Public social welfare Foundation (U. S. A. ) * D. M. Macdowell, 1986, Spartan Law, Publisher Penguin classify (Edinburgh Scot. ) * C. A. Hignett, 1952, write up of the Athenian Constitution to the end of the fifth century B. C. Publisher University of Oxford press (Oxford) * Yannis Lolos, 2006, The history of Athens from the eighth to the late fifth century B. C. , Publisher Alexander S. Onassis Public get Foundation (U. S. A) * Herodotus, The Histories,ed. trick Marincola, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (London Penguin collection publishing, 2003) 1 . Her odotus, The Histories,ed. bath Marincola, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (London Penguin Group publishing, 2003) poetry 6. 52 2 . Herodotus, The Histories,ed. buns Marincola, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (London Penguin Group publishing, 2003) Verse 5. 6-60 3 . Herodotus, The Histories,ed. John Marincola, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (London Penguin Group publishing, 2003) Verse 5. 40 4 . Aristotle, Xenophon, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, trans. J. M. Moore (Berkeley calcium University of California Press, 1975) Verse 15. 7 of Xenophon The Politeia of the Spartans 5 . Aristotle, Xenophon, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, trans. J. M. Moore (Berkeley California University of California Press, 1975) interpreted from Aristotles The Constitution of Athens 6 . Aristotle, Xenophon, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, trans.J. M. Moore (Berkeley California University of California Press, 1975) taken from Aristotles The Constitution o f Athens 7 . Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 79-85 8 . Herodotus hints to this, but quick states the facts are not there for denounce 9 . Kagan, 2003, The Peloponnesian War, published by Penguin Group (U. S. A. ) 10 . Lolos, The history of Athens from the eighth to the late fifth century B. C. , 2006, Publisher Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (U. S. A) 11 .Hegemon utilized by Thucydides to describe this relationship 12 . Cartledge, The Spartans, 2003, Publisher Vintage Books (U. S. A) 13 . Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 19 14 . Fields, Thermopylae 480 B. C. , 2007, Publisher Osprey Publishing (U. S. A) 15 . Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 23 16 . Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (Londo n Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 99 17 .Cartledge, The Spartans, 2003, Publisher Vintage Books (U. S. A) pg. 181 18 . Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 76 19 . Kagan, 2003, The Peloponnesian War, Published by Penguin Group (U. S. A. ) 20 . Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 39 21 . I utilize the term Athenian war, because it was the Athenians who ultimately decided to enmesh in battle, as the Spartans were trying to season their allies and avoid war as well.