Why Did Athenian Democracy Spur On The Peloponnesian War

Joe Nardulli How did Athenian Democracy spur on the Peloponnesian War? What did we learn from the war? The term democracy is defined as “ruled by the people” and was coined by the Athenian government, which was run through a radically democratic stance from 508 to 322 B.C. The three pillars of democracy in Athens were the Assembly of the Demos, the Council of 500, and the People’s Court. Although the type of “democracy” that we see today might work, this one had many faults. The Athenian democracy lacked the opinion of the majority because women and slaves did not have the right to vote. Athens was a state run by people that were not fit for the job. The people did as they pleased, including change laws day to day. “It is only that the

Athens constructed walls around its empire to save them from Spartan attack when the Persians fled Greece. This enraged the Spartans, but still made no moves to attack. Athens sided with Megara in the Megara and Corinth war, which, in turn, resulted in ‘The First Peloponnesian War’ between Athens and Sparta - each standing at the head of alliances that, combined, included nearly every Greek city-state. This war was a series of conflicts and minor wars, such as the Second Sacred War. The fighting was regarded by Thucydides as the most momentous war thus far. In his writing, Thucydides explains that the immediate causes for the war centered around conflicts between Athens and Sparta on whether they were able to deal with each other's allies freely. Conflicts broke out concerning the Athenian economic penalties against the city-state of Megara and the Athenian blockade of Potidaea, formerly allied to Athens but now revolting and seeking help from Corinth, a principal ally of Sparta. Other causes included the fear of each other’s growing power and concern for the ability to live without interference from a power stronger than themselves.

At the end of the war, Athens backed out from Greek mainland, due to an enormous attack by the Spartans. A thirty years treaty was signed between Athens and Sparta in 446 BC. “This Athenian-Spartan treaty had three key provisions: allies