The Similarities and Differences Between Sparta's Objective in The Peloponnesian War and Rome's Against City States in Italy and Carthage
Rome's conquest of the Italian Peninsula and Carthage had similar and dissimilar goals to the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.
The goals of both Sparta in the Peloponnesian War and Rome in its conquests were the attainment of power and control. Sparta and Rome each aspired to become the dominant power in their domains. Sparta wanted to prove its superiority over the other Greek city-states, so it went to war and defeated them. Similarly, Rome tried to strengthen its position by annexing the Italian Peninsula's city-states and the mighty kingdom of Carthage.
The strategic value of controlling resources and trade channels is another commonality. Sparta and Rome understood the significance of establishing a firm foothold in strategic regions.
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Athens and Sparta were the two prominent Greek city-states at war during the Peloponnesian War. However, many smaller Greek cities took sides. On the other hand, Rome conquered several Italian city-states and the great kingdom of Carthage, which was not a city-state but a necessary competitor power in the Mediterranean.
The character of the respective political systems is a further point of differentiation. Sparta was a militaristic oligarchy, whereas Athens was a democratic republic; both were city-states in ancient Greece. The Roman Republic, on the other hand, evolved into an Empire. Sparta was motivated to preserve its oligarchic system, whereas Rome was driven to expand its republican sphere of power.
Although the goals of the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War and the Romans in their conquests were similar—namely, the acquisition of territory and the establishment of hegemonic control over resources and trade routes—the two wars were quite different in scale and involved very other political