The Loss Of Athenian Democracy During The Peloponnesian War

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,

oligarchy and democracy. However, Sparta had a duel monarchy with two kings, one that was always in Sparta and the other to lead military, judicial, and religious campaigns.

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

the Ionian War (412-404).” The war started in 431, Athens and the Delian League fought against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. In 421 there was a peace of Nicias. Sparta and Athens initially had a treaty called the “Thirty Year’s Peace” that brought the end of the “first phase” Peloponnesian War. However an underlying series of events caused Sparta and Athens to go to war once again. For example, Athens’s demeanor and intervention towards Sparta’s ally Corinth. Athens intervened in an argument between Corcyra who as supported by Athens and Epidamnos who was supported by Corinth. Eventually after a few years Corinth abandoned the issue. Soon after, Potidaea a colony belonging to Corinth revolted from its rulers. Athens once again intervened, but this time Sparta took Potidaea’s side. Sparta threatened to take control of Attica if Athens were to attack Potidaea. Athens was not threatened and so the war began. Then in 421 Athens captured Scione. Athens also created an alliance between Argos and Corinth. Athens attacked Melos in 416. Once they captured them, they prepared for the Sicilian expedition. During 413 Sparta captures and fortifies Decelea. In 412 the allies of Athens revolted, Athenians started the siege of Chios, arguments between Persia and Sparta began. In 410 the Spartan peace offer was refused and there was an Athenian naval victory at Cyzicus. More allies of Athens started to revolt in 405 BC. The war was over in 404 with Athens surrendering and the walls being torn down.
Alcibiades was an intelligent and smart witted Athenian who was best known for being close to Socrates and his demeanor towards the Peloponnesian War that was destroying Greece.

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

in Alcibiades’s absence, causing his political enemies to use their power to convince the people to reject him and exile him from Athens once again. When the Athens faced Sparta at Aegospotami, Alcibiades cautioned them of their future. However, he was ignored and Athenians ended up losing their whole navy in a surprise attack by Lysander the Spartan admiral. If it were not for Alcibiades running off and betraying Athens by giving Athens’s secrets away, then Athens would have stood a stronger chance against Sparta. Alcibiades was later murdered by the Spartans.
. Athens had many ally city-states during the war. However, during the war, Athens were unable to maintain alliances with their leading allies. For example, Athens relationship with Argives. Athens and Argives would constantly battle and then create alliances afterwards. The reason Argives formed an alliance with Athens was because they would be hidden when Boeta allied with Sparta. However, due to Athens strength and oppression, Argives was pushed into making an alliance with Sparta. The failure to keep allies during the war, affected Athens greatly causing them to lead to their downfall. Athens had to constantly deal with revolts within their allied city-states. These revolts costed Athens a great deal in resources and diverted their attention from the battle at hand. Sparta used the distress in Athens city-states to their advantage by sending out troops to help the revolting cities in hopes of distracting Athens attention. When Mytilenes revolted, Athens had to send forty ships to try to reconquer the city, while Athens itself was fighting against a plague. Some revolts costed Athens many troops and even a commander. The lost at Delium and territory of Sicyon for Athens, gave Boetians and other allies time to build an army. Brasidas captured Amphipolis which meant trouble for Athens, since Amphipolis was the lumber supply for shipbuilding. It allowed control over the bridge that connected Athens’s allies. Argilus then revolted against Athens and aided Brasidas in stealing Amphipolse. Brasidas influenced and aided Scione and Mende to revolt against Athens as well.