Edmund Burke's The History Of The Peloponnesian War

As once stated by Edmund Burke, “the greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse”. In the year 416 BC, the small island of Milos, with all its inhabitants, was perturbed following an invasion by powerful Athenian forces, proving Burke’s theory to be true. In The History of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenian invasion of Milos, as well as the great “Melian Dialogue” is recounted by Athenian general and historian, Thucydides. While the Athenian invasion ultimately turned deadly, historical context is imperative to understanding what provoked such a notable attack. In 416 BC, Athens, operating as an empire, led an invasion on Melos. The Peloponnesian War was fought predominately between the Delian League and the Peloponnesian league, led by

Sparta. Probably due to Spartan alliances, the polis of Melos “did not join the anti-persian alliance established by Athens...from 431 BC the independence of Melos from the Athenian Empire was instantly jeopardized” (Cartledge 12). In Thucydides’ documentation of the Peloponnesian war, he records the invasion of Melos and includes an imaginary dialogue between the Athenians and Melians. While the dialogue may not bear historical validity, the conversation prompts a very important contextual question: what is the definition of justice and how does it differ per interpretation?
The Melian Dialogue challenges both Athenian and Melian dispositions about the concept of justice, especially as it applies to politics. While neither side offers a clear definition as to what they believe justice to be, the arguments surrounding the concept of justice bear integrity. Through careful analysis of the contrasting Athenian and Melian ideals of justice, the question regarding the conflicting definitions of justice can be explored and applied contextually.
According to the Athenian argument, power and politics can operate completely absent of justice. When defining the concept of justice, the Athenians state, “the standard of justice depends on the equality of power to compel and that in fact the strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept” (Thucydides V.89). Essentially, the Athenians declare they do not even need to explain their previous invasions or the presence of justice in their democracy because justice is a concept that exists only between equal powers. Additionally, in accordance with divine influences, Athenians argue, “our opinion of the gods and out knowledge of men lead us to conclude that it is a general and necessary law of nature to rule whatever one can. This is not a law that we made ourselves, nor were we the first to act upon it when it was made” (Thucydides V.105). Ultimately, the Athenians believe justice bears no importance in the world especially because there is an absence of divine figures who judge the just from the unjust.
Contrastingly, the Melian argument