Through his account of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides aims to teach his audience about various aspects of political life, such as leadership, maintaining alliances, and managing civil strife. Thucydides shares his lessons by juxtaposing the strategies utilized by the seemingly opposing city-states of Athens and Sparta. Even within each city-state, the political leaders of Athens and Sparta had opposing views on how to approach a particular situation, which suggests that the two powerhouses of Greece were not diametrically opposed. During the Peloponnesian War, people like the Spartan leader Brasidas saw the most success because of their ability to unite Athenian and Spartan characteristics on the battlefield. Brasidas’s emphasis on promoting …show more content…
The Corinthians describe the character of the Athenians as “being born into the world to take no rest themselves and to give no rest to others” (p. 40). This relentless mentality motivates the Athenians to enter into war with the Spartans, as they view giving into Sparta’s demands as giving them the rest necessary to enslave Athens (p. 81). On the other hand, the Corinthians view the Spartans as cautious, stating that they hesitate in decision-making because they fear the loss of their current holdings (p. 40). However, their fear of losing their homeland inspires a sense of unity and common good within Sparta, which the city-state believes will prevent them from enslavement under the hands of the Athenians (p. …show more content…
Brasidas’s quick and innovative thinking in wartime provide him with an insight into how the Athenians operate. With his increased understanding of the enemy, Brasidas becomes a better leader for the Spartans, specifically in the way he strengthens their weaknesses. Pericles, the general of the Athenians, took a similar approach, as he recognized that Athens needed to prioritize “national greatness” over “individual well-being” in order to be successful in the war (p. 124). Brasidas, on the other hand, knew that the Spartans needed to become a more assertive city-state. Thucydides shows the initiation of the transition through Brasidas’s threat of destruction aimed at