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Athens defeat in Peloponnesian War

            When the rivalry between Athens and Sparta renewed itself at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War in 431, thinking at the time pointed to an inevitable Spartan victory. In the past, hoplite warfare had dominated Greek military thinking and thus Sparta which possessed a far superior number of hoplites should have been destined to win the war. What the Spartans failed to understand was that Pericles and Athenians did not intend to wage a "traditional" war. They were planning new strategy, a defensive war which limited the Spartan military strength and used their naval superiority to harass the Peloponnese. (Buckley 1996:331) Pericles foretold that Athens would be victorious if she bided her time and took care of her navy. (Thucydides 2.65) .
             Following the death of Pericles a number of different citizens rose to prominence in Athens policy making with regard to the war. While there were many notable figures throughout the course of the Peloponnesian War, "no major figure in Athenian history was so colourful or so unconventional as Alcibiades." (Westlake 1968:212) Alcibiades was blessed with birth, wealth and prestige. He was personally ambitious and according to Plutarch wanted to gain the upper hand over his rivals. He was a born politician who sought to advance his own position as exhibited by his betrayal of Athens and Sparta at different stages in the war.
             During the Peace of Nicias, Alcibiades was an active advocate for a strengthening of Athens relations with Argos in an attempt to weaken Sparta. He wished to achieve greater recognition and thus when the opportunity to expand the Athenian empire arose in 415, he was the most vocal supporter of the Sicily campaign. (Thuc. 6. 16-18) After the fleets departure Alcibiades political enemies engineered his recall to stand trial. Buckley states that in hindsight, Thucydides believed that "Alcibiades recall and condemnation was the crucial factor in the defeat of the Sicilian expedition.


Essays Related to Athens defeat in Peloponnesian War

1. Peloponnesian War

... protests, so much the better. If they do not, then, after two or three years have passed, we shall be in a much sounder position and can attack them- (The Peloponnesian War, p. 84). Secondly, noting Athens' naval superiority, Archidamus was fully aware that a conflict between Athens and Sparta was not an affair that could be ended quickly. Archidamus knew that the Athenians were unlikely to fight ... way, armies are likely to be most courageous in attack and most reliable in defense- (The Peloponnesian War, p. 130). This tactic of delay makes sense from a practical standpoint as well. T...

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  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. The Peloponnesian War

... Pericles' naiveté as to this tenet. Background The Peloponnesian War between the city-states of Athens and Sparta (and their respective allies) lasted from 431-404 BC. Conflicts between the two cites dated back further, however, with skirmishes from 460-445 effectively ending in a draw. Major fighting in the Peloponnesian War occurred from 431-421 and ended in Athenian victory. Renewed conflict raged from 413-404, ultimately ... this purpose, but also to allow cooler heads to prevail after the heated debates demanding a swift attack on Athens. Archidamus knew that a victorious army win...

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  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Sparta VS. Athens

The ultimate reason for Sparta defeating Athens in the Peloponnesian War was planning, making use of resources, and realizing their own strengths and weaknesses. Sparta dominated the Peloponnesian League, which included several small ally states that were easily controlled by Sparta because of how close they were. This ... used this strength to take out Athenian allied cities and capture all the land outside the walls of Athens. This tactic froze Athens supply of food and also any additional revenue needed to maintain Athens military. Athens strategy was to use its strong navy and pound the ...

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4. JESUITS IN CHINA

... much unverified information, however, and failed to differentiate clearly between fact and fable. 4 The second great Greek historian, Thucydides, was of a different stamp. In writing the history of the Peloponnesian War he limited himself to matters of state and war; he tried to establish chronology and facts with some exactitude, avoiding the digressions of Herodotus; though his attempt at writing a factual and impartial history ... Union of Mineworkers. She is so adept at demonstrating Scargill's apparent low cunning, she actually casts doubts on her own skill in handling the crisis, ...

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5. The Causes and the Fall of the

... fall and the decline of the "Golden Age" of Athens were the Peloponnesian War, Athens" greed for power, and the bad decisions made by Alcibiades. The Peloponnesian War was a major cause of the fall of the "Golden Age" of Athens because Athens lost its power to Sparta in the war. Athens led its powerful empire into the Peloponnesian War in 431 B.C.E. and lost to Sparta and their allies.2 ... them. In 430 B.C.E., a severe plague struck Athens and killed Athenian leader Pericles allowing Alcibiades to become the new leader. While the Peloponnesian War was active, Alcibiades told Sparta the...

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  • Grade Level: High School

6. Ancient Greece and Athenian Naval Power

... of dismantling the Athenian empire. The Peloponnesian war had a few phases and began with the Archidamian war in 431 B.C(Brill's New Pauly). After both sides suffering equal losses and victories, a peace treaty was signed in 421 B.C. Soon after the peace treaty, Athens invaded Syracuse and suffered an embarrassing defeat, losing both valuable manpower and ships. In 414 B.C., Sparta once again declared war on Athens (Rhodes 2008, 209). This time, Sparta ... received financial assistance from Persia and built a strong fleet of triremes. In 406 BC, in the final naval battle of the Peloponn...

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  • Grade Level: High School

7. Pelloponesian Vs Napoleonic Wars

... , as all wars do, with net assessments and social structures. Athens internal system is one of public forum and debate, this tends to make the majority happy, but slows decision making. Analogously, the Coalitions are made of many nations each with their own agenda, each hoping to achieve it through the defeat of Napoleon. Sparta was point ruled by a king, namely, Archedamus ... while Napoleon was similarly authoritative in his chain of command, believing that "one bad general is better than two good ones". These social intricacies carry great weight, as ... offer the belief that escala...

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  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. History Of The Acropolis

... Athenians. The Acropolis was clearly not very effective as a long-term defense system, (Durant). During the decade of the 480's BC, the Persians returned after their defeat at Marathon only to meet their demise in a naval battle at Salamis. Themistokles led the fleet of Athenian ships and defeated the Persian leader Xerxes on sea and land. But after the Persians were run ... its shores. The Athenians came into great wealth after the defeat of the Persians. When the Greeks captured the camp of the Persians at Marathon in 494 BC, and found many riches and treasures in their tents, Aristid...

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  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Aftermath

... impact on the morale of a civilization. This broken spirit affects every aspect of society and culture. The damaged morale of the Athenian people after their defeat by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War caused a non-structured government that was depicted in The Assemblywomen by Aristophanes. This was projected by the desperate, yet motivated women striving to save the Athenian city-state as well as by the ... Assemblywomen, an assembly was to be conducted for "proposals on how to save Athens." (p. 235) If the city needs to be "saved," this means that the Athenian city was struggling. Prio...

  • Word Count: 672
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

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