Fragile Echoes Of Democracy In The Peloponnesian War

Andie Lynn Professor Saccarelli POLS 301A-01 10 October 2024 The Fragile Echoes of Democracy In The Peloponnesian War, Thucydides does more than simply record the conflicts between Athens and Sparta; he crafts a narrative that explores the deeper tensions within the very system of democracy. To the raw eye, his accounts may seem objective or an example of chronicling events. But beneath this mask lies a subtle critique, revealing democracy not as the unshakable pillar of Greek society, but as a vulnerable construct, prey to the whims of demagogues and the impulsive desires of the masses. Through a series of pivotal events, Thucydides resolves the myth of democracy as a rational and sustainable form of governance. Thucydides uses his account

Here the Athenian democracy comes to its high tragic point and makes the very decision which brought the catastrophe about. He who is most eloquent in dropping uncomfortable truths is Nicias, who advises against the campaign, but the Athenian assembly, swayed by the grandiloquent polemics of Alcibiades, votes to go to war (pg. 412). The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid a By recording this event, Thucydides seeks to show the Athenian Democracy devouring itself due to passion and, or ‘parading an over-ambitious Democracy’. What they do is represent in the Sicilian Expedition not only a military disaster but also an image of a set of failings that are democratization’s own. Taking advantage of this enthusiasm of the citizens of Athens, the Athenians do not think about how they can organize such a campaign and how far from home it is. Thucydides describes the decision made as an illusion that democracy allows because this type of government hears or at least lets those who speak who appeal to their passions, not to

The fall of Athens, precipitated by the Sicilian Expedition’s disastrous outcome, serves as Thucydides’ cautionary tale: where democracy’s strength lies within its accessibility and ability to directly reflect the rest of the people’s sentiments. Also, its weakness lies when those opinions are fueled by passion and hunger for power. Thus, Thucydides’ own account of the Sicilian Expedition is used as a tragic narrative for democracy. The Athenians’ desire to conquer Sicily, the Athenians’ failure to listen to their generals, and the Athenians’ subsequent annihilation represent democracy insofar as society. Which when left to their own devices, will destroy itself. Striking the final note, the grand city of Athens, the birthplace of democracy, is no more than a shadow of its former self, having been brought low by greed and excess by the end of the campaign. It is not just a history of battles and strategies, but if we are to take Thucydides seriously, a remarkably presented condemnation of democracy at that. The recklessness of Cleon, impulsiveness of the Athenian Assembly, and the disastrous nature of the Sicilian expedition are shown by Thucydides as weaknesses of the democratic