The The Peloponnesian Peloponnesian War War a.k.a. “Ain’t Democracy Wonderful?” a.k.a “Ain’t ‘Doh’mocracy Wonderful?”
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The Peloponnesian WarThe Peloponnesian Wara.k.a.
“Ain’t Democracy Wonderful?”
a.k.a“Ain’t ‘Doh’mocracy
Wonderful?”
How It All Began
Remember how the Greeks established colonies in Asia Minor?
Remember how the Athenians and other Greeks helped the Greek city-states in Asia Minor revolt against the Persians?
Remember how Darius didn’t get mad – he got even?
Trying to Get Even Backfires - 1
Darius invades Greece in 490 BCE Athenians defeat a much larger Persian
force at Battle of Marathon. Pheidippides – The human counterpart to
Argos! Athenians begin to strut their stuff because
Darius retreats
Trying to Get Even Backfires - 2
Xerxes invades Greece in 480 BCE Spartans at Thermopylae Persians torch Athens Athenians defeat Persian navy at Battle of
Salamis Xerxes retreats
Trying to Get Even Backfires - 3
Xerxes invades Greece again in 479 BCE Athenians (and others) defeat Persians at
Battle of Platea Xerxes retreats again
Trying to Get Even Backfires
The Athenian Empire Following the Persian War, Athens
exaggerated the threat of another Persian invasion to other city-states
Then Athens suggested that other city-states join it in a ‘mutual’ defense treaty– Can you say ‘Warsaw Pact’– Can you spell NATO?
Other city-states then paid money to Athens so that Athens would ‘protect’ them from the Persians
The Evil Empire - I
The Evil Empire - II
The Evil Empire - III
How Did the Athenians Create Their Empire?
I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse
Growth of the Empire
From the end of the Persian Wars in 479 BCE to the beginning of the Peloponnesian War in 431 BCE, the Athenian Empire grew by leaps and bounds
What the Hell(as) is a Peloponnesus?
And Why Was a War Named After It?
Athens created Delian League By 431 BCE, Delian League covered almost
entire Aegean Sea Sparta becomes paranoid about expanding
Athenian hegemony (Ever heard of the ‘Red Scare?’)
Sparta convinces numerous city-states on Peloponnesus to join the Peloponnesian League, another mutual defense arrangement
Let’s Pick Sides and Do Rumble
Flashpoint
Thebes (Peloponnesian League) attacks Platea (Delian League). Athens comes to aid of Platea, Sparta comes to aid of Thebes.
Corinth (one of richest and most powerful city-states) joins Sparta
It’s Stella Bella Time
Reasons for War
Spartan land dominance, Athenian sea power
Corinth: “Athens is a threat to Greek liberty.”
Reasons for War Corinth – 2nd largest naval power Athens - natural leader of the Greeks Sparta – fears Athens
Athenian Strategy Pericles’ plan pays off, as the Athenians
can get supplies through the long walls, and with the help of their fleet.
The City Secured
All of Attica (area around Athens) withdraws into the city
Spartan army invades, ravages countryside
Walls protect food supply
But the Plan is Flawed . . .
Can’t attack from within
Can’t keep thousands stuffed inside city
Can’t outlast the plague
The Plague
“In general, there was no known cause, but people in good health were all of a sudden attacked by violent heat in the head and red and inflamed eyes, and internally the throat and tongue were bleeding . . . The body itself was not very hot, nor pale, but reddish, livid and breaking out into all manner of pustules and ulceratic wounds.”
The Death of Pericles
429 BCE
Oligarchs (favored peace with Sparta) vs. Democrats (wanted to continue war)
Why would poor want to continue war?
Cleon the Democrat’s Plan
Invade Sparta
Logic: Deter Spartans from invading Attica
& Helots will revolt
425 BCE – invades with army, dead in 422
The Peace of Nicias
Nicas negotiates a treaty
30 year truce that lasts only 7 years
Everyone goes back to their land
But pro-war faction does not vanish
FB Photo of Nicias
Alcibiades the Agitator Everything you could want in a politician: Young, good speaker, clever . . . Highly educated, daring, Student of Socrates Nephew of Pericles But best of all, he threw the best parties in
town
DOC Photo of Alcibiades
With a leader like this, what could go wrong?
He is politically amoral Picks the war effort because it suits him Wants to lead and this side needs a leader By 420 he is strategos Figures out how to attack Up until now, the plan had only been how
to defend Athens
Alcibiades’ Plan –The Sicilian Expedition
Sparta depends on Magna Graecia for supplies and Corinth for trade
Cut off the supplies, and you have victory
Go for Syracuse
Magna Graecia
Could this plan work?
Capture Syracuse (main city in Sicily)
Capture Sicily (the breadbasket of Europe for millennia)
Cut Corinth and Sparta off from trade and supplies
Problems
How to get the fleet past Corinth?
Could an Athenian army take Syracuse?
How could Athens afford this?
Alcibiades’ Speech
“Know that we shall increase our power at home by this adventure abroad . . . Let us humble the pride of the Peloponnesians by sailing off to Sicily . . . And at the same time we shall become either masters, as we very easily may, of the whole of Hellas . . . Or in any case ruin the Syracusians, to no small advantage to us and our allies.”
Nicias’ Argument Need large land army ? Feasibility of plan Take all supplies along Very expensive “With this Nicias concluded thinking that it
would either disgust the Athenians by the magnitude of the task . . . or that they would be persuaded to do this in the safest way possible”
Nicias’ Devious Plan
Nicias realizes that the Athenians will vote for war
In a last desperate attempt to dissuade the Athenian assembly (i.e., all of the citizens of Athens voted), he proposes a ridiculously expensive, outlandish plan that he believes no one in his right mind would adopt
Who Should We Put In Charge?
Who Should We Put In Charge?
Who Should We Put In Charge?
The Leadership Troika
3 Commanders to keep things fair and balanced . . .
Alcibiades
Nicias
Lamachus
The Expeditionary Force 134 triremes, 27,000 men
Treasury is emptied as a result
The Night Before
Alcibiades throws a party to end all parties the night before the expedition is set to sail
His friends ‘worship Dionysus’ then start lopping off parts of statues of Hermes (herms)
The Morning After
Bright and early the next morning, the fleet sails for Sicily
When Athenians wake up they see the dismembered herms
The Athenians are religious people and believe that Hermes would not get mad, but would get even, so they set out to arrest Alcibiades
Sparta, Here I Come
Nicias Takes Command
How to win the war when the guy who wanted it is now on the other side???
And the guy who didn’t want it is now in charge???
Things are not looking good for Athens
Alcibiades to Spartans
Help!!!!!
Nicias thinks he needs more troops and ships
He asks Athenian assembly for same Guess what? They give him more troops and ships
You want more? Sure
Superstitious or Stupiditious
When Nicias gets to Sicily, he waits for around a month because the omens were not propitious
What does that delay allow the Spartans and other members of the Peloponnesian League to do?
What’s the harm in waiting?
Disaster Strikes
Surprise Ambush
Land Assault
Most terrible loses in the history of Greece
Damage Control
Athens raises second fleet
Lack of leadership dooms attempt
Oligarchs take control in 414
Democrats favored by 410
Who You Gonna Call?
Not Again!
405 BCE
Athenians attempt to restock ships
Spartans and Corinthians are waiting
Athenians fail to guard fleet
There can be no recovery
Not Again!
Spartans Invade Attica
In 404, Athens surrenders
Athenians forced to pull down walls of city
Athenian fleet restricted
Ally with Sparta (forced to do this)
The Consequences are Dire
Lost the Empire
Never a major political influence again
Sparta does not have the leadership skills to unite Greece
Nature abhors a Vacuum
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