How Did Athens Cause The Peloponnesian War Essay

Athenians Caused the War

“It is a common mistake in going to war to begin at the wrong end, to act first, and wait for disasters to discuss the matter.”– Thucydides, Greek historian. “History of the Peloponnesian War”

The Peloponnesian War took place between Athens and Sparta during 431-403 BCE. War remodeled the entire Greek state. The Athenian empire, which was considered the stronger side of the two, was reduced to a vulnerable slave of Sparta. After the war Sparta was over the state of Greece. The war destroyed the economies and brought sufferings to the state. Throughout the war many events like Athens growing in power, bullying of allies and neutral cities, and their refusal to negotiate with each other’s allies along with plague were to blame.

Following the Golden age Athens increase in power alarmed Spartans. They feared allies would fall due to their power driven economy. Pericles persuaded Athens’s assembly to take hard line to Spartans demand on easing

restrictions due to their allies. Because of Sparta’s jealousy and desire for more this led to them attacking Athens. Pericles’s treaty that was drawn up 15 years prior was finally broken due to the conflict between the two. This took place above all because Spartan leaders believed they had to fight to keep Athenians from using their superior long-distance offensive power. If Athens hadn’t provoked Sparta then they wouldn’t have felt the need to attack. Sparta shocked Athens when general Brasidas led most of the successful battles. This began the war that lasted longer than any previous war in Greek history.
Meanwhile Sparta attempted to give Athens an ultimatum to stop mistreating their allies but Athens rejected.

Spartans allies Corinth and Megara started to complain about Athens. Corinth tried to be convincing about attacking Athens but Sparta decided to try and negotiate first. Negotiating didn’t help because Athenians were to head strong and did want to back off of their authority. Athens naval power was also growing day-by-day endangering the bordering states. After Sparta’s attack the Athenians surprised them by launching a huge naval expedition against their allies in far-off Sicily. The Persian king then stepped in offering to help Spartans build a navy to defeat Athens. When they invaded Pericles advised a 2-pronged strategy to win. First use the navy to raid lands of Sparta and its allies and second to avoid large infantry battles with superior land forces of Spartans. Soon after plague struck in 430 BCE and killing Pericles the next year caused them to become weak and an easy

target.
Plague lasted 4 years killing thousands while packed behind the walls built to keep the Spartans out. Athenians thought at first that the gods sent the disease as a punishment due to events that started the war. After the death of Pericles elected generals got rid of his strategy. Soon after Sparta offered Athens a truce but they refused. 424 and 423 BCE turned the war in the other direction (Hunt 102). Brasidas and Cleon both died in 422 BCE (Hunt 103). Sparta made peace in 421 BCE after the deaths out of mutual exhaustion (Hunt 104).
Although there are many aspects to consider, if it wasn’t for Athens stubbornness then this whole war wouldn’t have taken place. Sparta tried to offer truce and surrender many time but Athens refused due to pride. Sparta emerged victorious, while the constant fighting left Athens exhausted and demoralized. Neither city-state regained the military strength they once had.