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Second Peloponnesian War Essay

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The events predating the Second Peloponnesian War were written down by Thucydides, who was alive at the time. From Athens meddling in Lacedaemonian territory to the violation of the Thirty Year’s peace, even the god in Delphi knew of the imminent conflict between the former city-state allies Sparta and Athens. The Thirty Year’s peace was established in 446 BCE between Athens and Sparta; these two poleis found supporters in the likes of Aegina, Corinth and Megara, allies of Sparta, and Corcyra, ally of Athens. Thucydides records the detailed history of the relationship between these city-states and was practically the only contemporary author during the time of the Second Peloponnesian War. He provided great insight to readers and audiences. One of the stronger theories regarding the Second Peloponnesian War is …show more content…

The former allies, Sparta and Athens, had provoked one another for quite some time. From the events of Megara, to the meddling in foreign territories, Athenian actions provoked Sparta to declare war on Athens, their foreign engagements instigating war due to Athens’ incapability to come to a mutual agreement. Thucydides’ and Rhodes’ writings detail the Spartan and Athenian events which led to war. Each empire lacked the respect for each other that they needed to maintain a stable inter-city-state relationship. The Second Peloponnesian War could have been prevented if Sparta and Athens had respected the honor code laid out by the Thirty Year’s peace. While this is merely a historical analysis, honor is an essential piece of every society. Without the respect for one another how then could conflict ever be resolved. Thucydides and Rhodes are essential voices to explaining this fifth century conflict in Hellas. The writings of these two authors show that the actions of one may not prove to be significant, but the actions of many fuel a revolution of minds and

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Interestingly, this war against Sparta, also known as the First Peloponnesian War, was due to the Athenians trying to unify all of Greece under a democracy. Pericles informs the people that they deomcratically voted to go war under his leadership and that if they keep fighting and directing rage to him and each other, that they would be their own undoing. He unifies the people to remember who their real enemy is and that they must all stay strong together and help each other stay

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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 fact, Pericles dominated Athens Politics from 461 BCE to 429 BCE (Brand, n. d.). Basically, the whole Greek world including Athens and Sparta fought as a kind of "Greek World-War". Additionally, in 431 BCE, Pericles led Athens for the first series of Peloponnesian war against Sparta. While starting the war, the Athens was quite great in navy, good annual revenue of silver from the silver mines located at Attica, and the tribute payment from her empire.

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As a world-renowned Athenian historian and general, Thucydides famed history The Peloponnesian War recounts some of Athens’ and other Greeks’ most telling moments world powers. Thucydides, unlike his predecessor Herodotus, approaches his history with a generally detached and serious tone, yet his opinion does shine through his writing at times. Perhaps, the Athenians’ Sicilian Expedition (415 BCE- 413 BCE) sections in the histories features the most of Thucydides’ opinion on a particular subject sneaking into the text. The Sicilian Expedition began with Athens’ distant Sicilian allies seeking help from Athens for civil strife, and Athens eventually agreed to assist and sent numerous ships and troops under the command of Nicias, Alcibiades,

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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).

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The Peloponnesian War was a difficult period in Athenian history. Every victory was quickly followed by a crushing defeat. The overall morale of the Athenian people was low. During the funeral oration, Pericles gave a speech with this thesis: In order to protect the splendor and ideals of Athens, the Athenian citizens needed to undergo hardship for her sake.

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There are some parallels between the goals of the Peloponnesian War and Rome's incursion into Italy and its war with Carthage, but there are also big distinctions. Comparabilities:.. Power Struggle: The quest for supremacy and power propelled both Rome's expansion and the Peloponnesian War. While Rome attempted to establish power over the Italian Peninsula and adjacent lands, Sparta wanted to impose its influence over Athens and other Greek city-states.

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Athens vs Sparta Athens and Sparta were, at one point, the two most powerful city-states in Ancient Greece. They came into conflict in the Peloponnesian war in 431 BC, which raged on for 28 years. Learn more with this Athens vs Sparta wiki page. Download Arrow Download FREE resources to teach children about 'Difference Between Athens and Sparta' View FREE Resources

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The Spartans had a very conservative foreign policy, since they did not want to risk a Helot revolt while they were away at war. Spartan discipline did produce magnificent soldiers, inured to hardship and blind obedience to authority, but with little talent for original thinking or self-discipline. Thus, these huge differences between Spartans and Athenians made Peloponnesian War unavoidable. Thirdly, the effects of Peloponnesian War were devastating to the Greek society.

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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

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Athens and Sparta, located between the Aegean and the Ionian Sea, allied with each other in the Greco-Persian war. Due to the advanced and powerful navy of Athens incorporation with the well-built army of Sparta, they gained victory over the Persian Empire. After the victory, Athens gained wealth and dominance over the other Greek societies causing tensions between Sparta. They both share similarities towards their cultural background but had different views in creating an ideal society in addition to their state’s place in the world. Moreover, they differ from the concepts of a well trained or educated society and a well built military, but share similarities in their government format.

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Public versus Private, and the impact to the war Thucydides, the author of The Peloponnesian War, differentiates itself from any of the former literature to not give heroic contents, but to analyze the content of the war between the Hellas. One of the greatest morale that he gives through the analysis is the separation of the public and private interests during a political project: in order to achieve the good of the city, the priorities must be set on the what is best for the many, rather than on private interests that benefits only a few, such as, but not limited to, preeminence, popularity, vengeance, and greed. The separation of public matters and private matters are exemplified by Pericles, who led the earlier part of the war, and destroyed

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1010 Words | 5 Pages

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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One of the greatest characteristic about a free society is believing in and doing what you think is right. A free society would not be whole if any citizen did not feel free, this includes the most important trait, the freedom of speech. This has been passed along the United States from our founding fathers from the late 18th century and has shaped our country and many others which rules and regulations are extremely similar to ours. Peaceful resistance to laws does create a positive impact towards a free society. A free society should not have violent influences which will cause any imbalance between the citizens.

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In Greek history many wars took place due to the conquering of other lands for empowerment and wealth. The question arises by the Melians during the Peloponnesian war about how “justice” and “self- interest are distinguished. In the Melian Dialogue, the Athenians seek self-interest of power and strength for their empire, while the Melians seek justice by friendship and neutrality instead of slavery. Due to this questioning, the Athenians are seen being self-fish and unjust due to their greed and self-interest. In this dialogue there is a clear differentiation of justice and self-interest.

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