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Peloponnesian War Causes

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This war was between the Athenian empire and the Peloponnesian league. The war was divided into 3 distinct phases, the first phase was the Archidamin war, during this phase Athens ordered attack, after attack after attack on Attica. the second phase was the Sicilian war and the last and final phase was the Ionian (Decelean war). The main reason for the start of this war was because the Spartans were scared that the Athenians were growing in power and that they controlled most of the Mediterranean region form Greece to Hellas. According to Thucydides, this was not the only factor that caused the war. Apparently, Athenians wanted to throw the Persians out of their home land after an Athens leader took over the Delian league. In which they did, the Athens took over a great sum of the Peloponnesian land. As the tension continued, Athens began to build a wall surrounding its empire to prevent Sparta from attacking. At this point in time, the tension between all the city states in Greece were on high alert. An almost “every-man-for-himself” situation. The sum of all this eventually started the Peloponnesian war. …show more content…

Peace of Nicias was meant to be signed between Athens and Sparta. However, due to circumstance, the treaty failed and the fighting continued. After the complete destroyed of Aegospotami, the war was finally over and Athens had surrendered.
This war had reshaped the Greece. Athens no longer became the strongest city-state, as Sparta took that place hold. This war caused a domino effect on the rest of Greece. Poverty ran through the street and city-states were not able to rebuild themselves. Deciding which governmental structure to take was also another factor in which caused a civil war in Greece. The Peloponnesian war lead to a great deal of many more problems Greece will face within its

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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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Thucydides is the author of Peloponnesian War. The Peloponnesian War was a direct and indirect conflict between Sparta and Athens that lasted from 460-404 BCE. Thucydides fought for Athens during the Peloponnesian War and was later exiled by Athens. Thucydides was writing about something that he participated in and the Peloponnesian War became the first contemporary history. Thucydides also made use of eyewitness reports from people who were participants in the war.

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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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