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Contingency “Contingency “is an Historical Thinking Skill you’ll need to perfect if you want to be successful in this class and on the AP test. In History, it’s the idea that though we tend to think things were destined to happen…they are not ALL destined to happen. In fact, at any important point in history there are so many possible paths that the timeline could have gone down, but it went down the path that made your world possible. In short, contingency is understanding that many things had to go the way they did. In practicing contingency we have to understand the other possibilities of a particular event, how much that would have changed the course of history. Contingency So, it’s understanding how important a particular event or series of events are to making the world it is. To practice, think of all the little things that had to happen to make you, YOU. On the AP test (and mine) you’ll have to practice this on your long essays. It is an essential skill and one that will make you a better citizen of the world and increase your empathy and understanding. Let’s practice by looking at some important events in Greek history. Assignment Using your “Contingency in Greece” handout, follow along as we examine the contingent events in Greek (and all of Western history). The Ionian Revolt (499493 B.C.E.) Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor/Anatolia decide they don’t like being ruled by Persians (a very Greek thing) and so they revolt and ask Athens and Sparta for help. Sparta laughs at them, but Athens lends aid. The Persian King of Kings, Darius I, crushes the revolt and swears to make Athens pay. The Battle of Marathon (490 B.C.E.) Darius I invades Greece at Marathon. Greek hoplites are waiting for him. They don’t wait to be cut down by his arrows or cavalry, they just charge. They break the Persian line with their superior phalanx and cut down the Persians in retreat. Yay for Athens, but now Persia is extra mad. Oh…and that’s where the Marathon comes from. After the battle, the Athenian general, Miltiades, sent a runner from the battle field to Athens to inform them of the victory, A distance of 26.2 miles. Upon arriving, Pheidippides, the runner, shouted “VICTORY” Then collapsed dead exhaustion. (he’d also run to Sparta from Marathon and back a few days earlier to find out if Sparta would join the fight…they were too busy with a religious festival) The Battle of Thermopylae-480 B.C.E. Darius I son, Xerxes invades Greece to get revenge for papa. Waiting for him at the “Hot Gates” are 300 Spartans (the rest of their army was doing another religious festival…sensing a theme here) and several thousand other Greeks. 300 Well, the Spartans lose, but they buy time. Time for Athens to be evacuated before Xerxes burns it to the ground. The Battle of Salamis 480 B.C.E. Possibly the most important naval battle in history. Athens was burned to the ground, but their ships weren't. The Greek general, Themistocles, sets a trap for the much more numerous Persian navy (actually Phoenicians forced to fight) and destroys much of their navy. Without the aid and supply from their navy, much of the Persian military is forced to go home. Salamis visualized The Battle of Plataea The remaining Persian forces after the battle of Salamis (still outnumbering the Greeks) fight one final battle in Greece. The combined Greek forces crush them. Persia’s invasions of Greece are over. The Delian League Following the Persian invasions, Athens, Sparta, and other city-states band together to harass the Persians through battle and aiding revolts. This works well until the Persians use their greatest weapon-money-to bribe the Spartans. Sparta and Athens never really liked each other anyway, so they split the Delian league and start fighting each-other. Remember, Persia was a vast, wealthy empire and Greece was just a tiny, little peninsula with little money (but soon a lot of influence). The Peloponnesian War The massive throw-down between the greatest Greek powers, Athens and Sparta. Effectively, Persia gets its worst enemy to fight itself. Contingency: What would the world be like if Athens and Sparta had not fought each other? The Peloponnesian War “What ifs” in History are fun to think about, but Athens and Sparta and other city states did fight each other because they had different beliefs. They will not be united until Phillip II of Macedon forces them to…Except the Spartans. Phillip II’s heir will be one of perhaps the top 5 most important individuals in World History-Alexander the Great. Masters of the mikedrop Laconic-adj-of a person, speech, or style of writing using very few words. Origin: Lacadaemonian…the Spartans. Alexander The Great Taught by the most famous teacher of all time, Aristotle Father was an incredible leader. Mother was one of the few women in antiquity so incredible that we actually know something about her (sadly, women didn’t get a lot of press) So naturally, Alexander was pretty great. And he knew it. He was probably very arrogant, but very self-aware of his importance. Alexander the Great When he was your age, he was already leading charges in battles. At 20 he was King of Macedon, which now included most of Greece. He died at age 32. In those 12 years, Alexander conquered almost all of the civilized world. He left Greeks behind in cities to marry locals and spread Hellenism… ….and named 70 cities after himself Historical Arson …but the city naming thing isn’t just because he was a narcissist (which he probably, definitely was). It also was to spread Hellenistic culture. With Alexander, Greek culture spread from its little tiny peninsula to the entirety of the known world. Moreover, he culturally blended Greek culture with the culture of the people he conquered through cultural borrowing. Alexander’s conquests opened the door to a new world order, which EuropeanMediterranean culture would dominate for a thousand years. So, what would your world be like without him? Or the battle of Salamis? Would there be an America at all?