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How Did Alcibiades Affect The Peloponnesian War?

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Alcibiades is the most responsible for the defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War over Pericles, Lysander, and Nicias. Due to Alcibiades inability to remain loyal to a single nation, his selfish desires, and his repeated manipulation to maneuver situations into his favor, Alcibiades tactics made detrimental impact on the outcome of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles was seen as incorruptible and as a virtuous leader (Plut. Pericles 2). Nicias was hesitant to endanger men’s lives and was not one support a spontaneous or an ill-conceived plans (Plut. Nicias 6). Lysander, while dedicated to aggressive and effective strategies, gained his momentum in the war by obtaining financial assistance from the Persians prince Cyrus the Younger (Plut. …show more content…

Alcibiades motives seem to stem from his desire to be considered distinguished and famed (Plut. Alcibiades 6). His selfish motives can be seen through his interaction with the Spartans. While taking asylum in Sparta, after fleeing the Athenians for the mutilation of Hermae statues, Alcibiades made it no secret that he had impregnated the Spartan King’s wife and claimed to have done this so that his descendants will one day rule Sparta (Plut. Alcibiades 23). His motives for being in favor of the expedition to Sicily was for his own grandeur, and not for the benefit of Athens and its resources (Thucy. History of the Peloponnesian War 6.15.2). When Alcibiades motions for the people of Athens to recall Alcibiades back into Athens, abandon democracy, and turn to oligarchy in order to gain Tissaphernes alliance, and therefore the Persian King’s alliance (Thucy. History of the Peloponnesian War 8.47.1), all of which was based on Alcibiades assumptions in his power of persuading Tissaphernes, which did not …show more content…

Pericles 2). Pericles saw the Peloponnesians as lacking in funds to sustain a war and thought it best to attack by sea (Thucy. History of the Peloponnesian War 1.140-.145). To Pericles the war as inevitable. While it is said that Pericles started the war, his impact on the war did not lead to the outcome of the defeat of Athens. His strategy to wait out the land attacks by the Spartans by remaining inside Athens walls may have been successful had the people of Athens, including Pericles, not be subjected to a plague that took over Athens (Thucy. History of the Peloponnesian War

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After Thucydides' ostracism, Pericles was re-elected yearly to the generalship, the only office he ever officially occupied, although his influence was so great as to make him the de facto ruler of the state. For more than 20 years Pericles led many expeditions, mainly naval ones. Being always cautious, he never undertook of his own accord a battle involving much uncertainty and peril and he did not accede to the "vain impulses of the citizens". He based his military policy on Themistocles' principle that Athens' predominance depends on its superior naval power and believed that the Peloponnesians were near-invincible on land. (The fleet, backbone of Athenian power since the days of Themistocles, was manned almost entirely by members of the

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The historian Thucydides described himself as a wealthy Athenian general whose exile to the Peloponnese allowed him to personally observe, from both the sides of the conflict, a comprehensive account of the Peloponnesian War. Book 1 in Thucydides’ “History of the Peloponnesian War” is dedicated to explaining over fifty years of the events and proceedings that led to the abandonment of the Thirty Year’s Peace and subsequent war. In Book 1 he identifies four main incidents, which I shall refer to as ‘grievances’, regarding the conduct of Athens towards both their Delian members and the Peloponnesian allies. Yet he also mentions what he deems to be a more ‘real’ truth than these four grievances that led to Sparta and the Peloponnese going to

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In Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War, Athens invaded the Spartan island of Melos. The Athenian king was determined to conquer Melos, one of the weaker islands surrounding them rather than let them be neutral. The citizens of Athens perceived neutrality as a sign of weakness, which could later cause his subjects to rise against him. Athens presents the Melians with a choice of becoming their vassals or for the Athenians to decimate Melian territory. After rejecting the cruel offer, Athens considered Melos an enemy of war, besieging the small island.

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Both had a way of making it seem as if they were needed for Apple to survive and Athens to win the war. They both had intentionally positioned themselves in a way that made them almost untouchable. I say almost because eventually their manipulative abilities got the best of them. The faults that Alcibiades possessed were the root of his willingness to flaunt his wealth towards the people in a very distasteful way. This somewhat gave them more reason to exile him out of Athens.

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In Richard Crawley’s translated version of The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides the “Funeral Oration of Pericles” and “The Melian Conference” share the similarity of the Athenian representative using rich rhetoric and the differences of perspective of Athens. In both the “Funeral Oration of Pericles” and “The Melian Conference,” the Athenians uses graceful rhetoric in order to disguise its military intentions. Before Pericles acknowledges the dead soldiers and their mourning family, he praises Athens on their beauty and intellect (Book 2 Funeral Oration of Pericles 40). He also denounces Sparta, the enemy, for their military policies.

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Although Pericles’ words strived to inspire and encourage the Athenian people to fight valiantly against Sparta and its allies, they are not enough to embolden the Athenian people onto victory in the Peloponnesian War. His words do motivate Athenians to make tremendous effort in extending their power and defeating Sparta and its allies, but in the end, may have lead to Athenians’ demise. Fostering pride and determination throughout the war, Athens makes several attempts to expand its naval power, but fails in its plan to overtake Syracuse on the coast of Sicily, weakening its efforts against Sparta and its allied city-states. Finally, in the naval battle at Aegospotami, the Spartans have a decisive victory over Athens, and the Athenians eventually surrender, ending the Peloponnesian War.

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With the withdrawal of Sparta and the Peloponnesian leagues, a congress was called on the island of Delos to institute a new alliance to continue the fight against the Persians. According to Thucydides, the official aim of the League was to "avenge the wrongs they suffered by ravaging the territory of the king." In reality, this goal was divided into three main efforts— to prepare for future invasion, to seek revenge against Persia, and to organize a means of dividing spoils of war. League members swore to have the same friends and enemies, and dropped ingots of iron into the sea to symbolize the permanence of their alliance. Over time, especially with the suppression of rebellions, Athens exercised hegemony over the rest of the league.

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Alcibiades exile left the expedition for Sicily without an effective leader Sparta influenced by his military leadership, adopted alcibiades suggestion to to combat the invading expedition in Syracuse The Sicilian expedition ended in the defeat of Athens which crippled its military power0 the navy Meanwhile at Sparta, Alacabiades advised to establish a permanent base of operations in the Attic countryside. which would damage thee Athenian fortunes twenty thousand slaves owned by the state and who worked in Athens' silver mines sought refuge in Sparta.

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Pericles argues that Athens has become a model for others, and articulates what it is to be a good citizen. This can be seen when he says, “although the eyes of an enemy may occasionally profit by our liberality; trusting less in system and policy than to the native spirit of our citizens; while in education, where our rivals from their very cradles by a painful discipline seek after manliness, at Athens we live exactly as we please, and yet are just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger.” (Thucydides, 2.39) It proves that Ancient Athens’ valued greatness and worked in order to achieve the excellence of the state, by focusing on rebuilding themselves back up after the Persian war. Pericles played a big role in this because he showed his ambitions to rebuild Athens, which lead to the thriving of other subjects such as literature, philosophy, science, art, and religion.

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While reading the History of the Peloponnesian War, it is not hard to see how so many scholars have attributed the work of Thucydides as swift, deep and attentive to detail; one gets the feeling that you are reading the words of a well rounded and inspiring scholar who is only interested in a realist recording the truth as it unfolds in front of him. (Welch 2003) Thucydides offers a history that will be of use to those who seek, “An exact aid to the past to better aid the future. I have written my work not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time.”

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