The Loss Of Athenian Democracy During The Peloponnesian War

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The Peloponnesian War was the most infamous war between Athens and Sparta. Athens and Sparta were the two super powers of their time. Sparta was known for being an unstoppable war machine with its army that was willing to take on anyone. They rose to power by disciplining and educating themselves. Athens on the other hand, were known for their strong navy fleet, however, they were also people of wisdom. They were very intrigued by science, philosophy, art, architecture and literature. They were most famous for creating a new form of government known as democracy, where all the citizens’ rich or poor had a voice on the city’s decisions for its future. The Greek city-state of Sparta had a form of government that mixed various traits of monarchy, …show more content…

They had a small oligarchy that dealt with political control. However, democracy is seen in the eyes of Aristotle and Plato as not the most efficient form of government. Athens lost the Peloponnesian through surrender causing the collapse of the famous Athenian Empire. Sparta gained control over Athens and ruled it to their desire. Although, Athens was a democracy during the Peloponnesian War, democracy itself was not a contribution to their loss, Athens lost due to many reasons such as Alcibiades’s betrayal, revolts from allied city-states, loss of their navy and the plague.
The Peloponnesian War lasted from “431-404 bce” and was caused by Athens’s new growing power which posed as a threat to Sparta. The war was viewed in three phases, “the Archidamian War (431-421), the Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition (420-413), and …show more content…

His role in the war, greatly affected the outcome of Sparta’s victory against Athens. Alcibiades was a diplomat and military general who aided the achievement of the Peloponnesian War by influencing Argo, Mantineia and Elis to create an anti-Spartan alliance. The association was altogether defeated, however, Alcibiades managed to escape out of it and avoid any punishment. He then convinced the Athenian navy to use their resources for an invasion on Syracuse in Sicily. The Athenian navy agreed, however, the night before they were supposed to sail, Alcibiades was accused of vandalizing statues of Hermes in Athens. Alcibiades was then sentenced to death, but once again he managed to escape to the enemy, Sparta. Now he was a problem to Athens. Alcibiades gave the Spartans all of Athens’s military secrets and tried to influence Athens’s allies to revolt. Eventually the Spartans got sick of Alcibiades and so he moved on trying to cause chaos in Persia. He then returned to Athens after failing in Persia and they welcomed him back surprisingly. Athens realized his skills as naval commander, so the state drops the charges against Alcibiades. He was placed in charge of the Athenian navy and received great victories over the Spartan navy at Abydos and Cyzicus. Despite of all this, there was a small naval defeat

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