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Why Did Athens Lose The Peloponnesian War Essay

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Factors of Athens's Defeat in the Peloponnesian War

Introduction
Athens and Sparta, the two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece, fought each other for many years in the Peloponnesian War. Unfortunately, Athens was defeated, and its democratic rule collapsed due to the war, which lasted from 431 to 404 BCE, with a brief truce. In this paper, I will claim that Athens' arrogance, overreliance on the navy, the plague, and poor judgment rendered Athens incapable of winning the Peloponnesian War. Overconfidence
Athens could not manage the war effectively because of its overconfidence and arrogance. Athens' vast, prosperous empire extended beyond the Aegean Sea. It had a strong navy that dominated the seas and a thriving culture that produced …show more content…

In 415 BCE, Athens launched a vast naval and land battle called the Sicilian Expedition to take Syracuse, a wealthy and powerful ally of Sparta. Unfortunately, many Athens soldiers were murdered or enslaved by the Syracusans, and the entire mission failed. Moreover, the Sicilian Expedition harmed Athens' military and economic power standing among its allies and its morale (Chakra, 2021). This situation encouraged Sparta and its partners to renew their attacks on Athens and its empire.
External Rivalry
External enemies and rivals were other components in Athens' wartime demise. However, it was the superior army and stable governance that distinguished Sparta. Sparta received support and resources from its various Peloponnesian League allies. Persia also gave Sparta financial and naval aid to undermine Athens and retake the Greek cities in Asia Minor. In 405 BCE, Lysander's fleet defeated the Athenians at Aegospotami in the Hellespont, capturing 170 ships on the beach and executing at least 3,000 captives (Cartwright, 2018).
The …show more content…

Moreover, the war exposed Athens' weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and its poor handling of the conflict ultimately led to its downfall. Word Count: 663
References

Britannica. (n.d.). Socrates: The perceived fragility of Athenian democracy. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Socrates/The-perceived-fragility-of-Athenian-democracy Cartwright, M. (2018, May 02). Peloponnesian war. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/peloponnesian_war/ Chakra, H. (2021, September 6). The Sicilian expedition (415-413 BC). About History. https://about-history.com/the-sicilian-expedition-415-413-bc/ Historica. (n.d.). Sicilian expedition. https://historica.fandom.com/wiki/Sicilian_Expedition Hornblower, S. (2002). The Greek world 479-323 BC (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/The-Greek-World-479-323-BC/Hornblower/p/book/9780415602921 Rhodes, P.J. (2006). A history of the classical Greek world: 478-323 BC. Blackwell.

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