Alcibiades was one of the so-called “great” men during the Peloponnesian Wars’ between Athens and Sparta. The Peloponnesian War took place in ancient Greece from 431 B.C. to 404 B.C. There are many factors that led up to the Peloponnesian war. One of these factors came from the Persian defeat. Yet another was Alcibiades himself. This along with the overall arrogance of the Athenians in general brewed a pot of war ready to boil over.

The war between Athens and Sparta was ready to erupt far before it actually did. Athens’ always knew that Sparta was the only other power in Greece that could contend with them. Many of the Delian League (a group of counties formed to keep the Persians in line after the Persian War, Western Civilizations pg 137) city-states began to rebel against Athenian control shortly after the defeat of the Persian Empire. Athens, needing the control of these lands and money, quickly squashed these rebellions and imposed Athenian citizens into the city-states. This o

However, the conditions inside the walls of Athens brewed a horrible epidemic in 429 B.C. This catastrophe claimed not only a third of the population of the Athenian citizens, but Pericles (Ruler of Attica, Western Civilizations pg 138) as well. After the death of Pericles it became clear that he was the only one that could control the political mess that he unleashed. The war raged on until 421 B.C. when a brilliant Athenian leader named Nicias (a strong military leader during the Peloponnesian War, Western Civilizations pg 145) constructed a temporary peace between Sparta and Athens. This peace was of course short lived.

The Spartans now became the protectors of Greece. They proved to be far more unforgiving than Athens had been in the control of Greece. With the Persian Empire rising up again and Athens, Thebes, Corinth and Argos opposing Spartan control, Greece was thrown into total disarray. The war that was brewing for so many years erupted and lasted 27 years accomplished nothing more than the collapse of Greece. The war saw the collapse of Aristocracies, Empires; the overall limitation of the polis system, and the failure of Democracy.

He again convinced Athenian politicians to do his bidding. This time he led the attack directly. When he landed at Sparta he was advised to strike quickly since no one knew of the attack. However, in his arrogance, he sent out emissaries and this gave away the Athenians only advantage. His forces were being annihilated when Athens asked him to return with a Report. Knowing that he failed and faced harsh penalty for leading such an ill timed and poor planned attack, he switched sides.

Alcibiades was the catalyst that brought the return of war to Athens. He brought about years of suffering to the Athenian people. He partook in the overall collapse of Greece, and in my opinion brought nothing good from his existence other than the lessons we learned from his failures. He taught us the value of patience. He showed us that we must think all plans of action over and not simply rush into things because of their overall superb presentation. Alcibiades who was once thought to be a great man by his fellow Athenians turned out to be just another example of human flaw.

The war has been dragging on for many years. Both sides in the conflic

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