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Second Peloponnesian War Essay

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The cascade of events which imminently led to the Second Peloponnesian War were scribed by the historian Thucydides. In these documented writings by Thucydides, the author detailed the Spartan-Athenian conflict. From the meddling in Lacedaemonian land to the violation of the Thirty-Year peace, even the god in Delphi knew of the imminent conflict between the former city-state allies -Sparta and Athens. These two nations found supporters in the likes of Aegina, Corcyra, Megara, and Corinth respectively. Thusly, the two nations declared war on each other due to many complications within Hellas. It is questionable whether or not the declaration for war was provoked out of the desire for the nations to prove themselves or rather due to a lack of agreement between the two empires- Athens and Sparta. The latter is the most accepted ideology because the Second Peloponnesian War had many events which predated it. It began out of spite and power and the desire to prove a nation’s power; moreover, the war began due …show more content…

2.140-146). It was not only Athens itself that grew, but its allies as well. Corinth and Corcyra made individual attempts to forge alliances with Athens, and while this was highly disputed by the Lacedaemonians, they eventually ruled this as meddling with foreign affairs. The attempted alliance of Athens with other countries was one of many actions which instigated the coming of the Second Peloponnesian War. Moreover, Sparta viewed the attempted alliances as a violation of the thirty year’s truce in addition to being simply a provocative act. (Rhodes 2010, 93). Not only this, additionally Athens passed a decree banishing Megaran citizens from Athenian ports due to Megara’s affiliation with Corinth –the nation which revolted in 447/6; this was additionally viewed as meddling by Corinth –an ally of Sparta (Rhodes 2010,

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This caused many issues, with many allies attempting and failing to leave the league. Thucydides states that they had “deprived [their allies] of their ships, and imposed instead contributions in money.” (1.19) Greece was now divided between two major powers: the Dealian League which formed the Athenian empire and Sparta and the Peloponnesian allies. Up until this point, Sparta had maintained its hegemony and authority as the major power or empire of Greece. Naturally, the rapid expansion and power of the Athenian empire was a concerning threat and looming anxiety to their authority.

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During the Peloponnesian War, which was a war fought between Athens and Sparta during the 431 to 404

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Thucydides was an Athenian historian that wrote The History of the Peloponnesian War. His account of the conflict is considered a classic and is one of the earliest works of history. When analyzing his work, there are multiple ways to view it. It can be looked at as an objective piece of history that attempts to record the events that unfolded. But it can also be seen as a piece of literature that tries to tell a story and evoke emotion through symbolism rather than be a historical recording.

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