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What is the American Oracle?
Peloponnesian War
I.
II.
III.
Athenian Argument
a. Athens convinced other Greek city states that they needed to
keep a strong Greek navy together
i. Naval Power was the reason for the Greek victory against
the Persians
ii. Naval power could stop the Persians if they came back
again
b. Form Delian League
i. Cities send ships and $$$ to Athens for this Greek Navy
1. Athens had the biggest harbor
ii. After some time, Athens wants just $$$, not ships
The Persians do not come back
a. Some cities want to back out of the Delian League
i. Athens says no
1. They have gotten comfortable receiving $$$ from
other cities
a. No Athenian pays taxes
b. Athens beautifully rebuilt
c. “Golden Age of Athens”
ii. Miletus stops paying
1. Athens sends this navy designed to protect them
against the Persians to sack the city of Miletus
2. All cities in the Delian League had to become a
Democracy
3. Beginnings of an Athenian Empire
Spartan Response
a. The Spartans decide to stop the Athenians
i. And help all the cities become free and independent
b. Form an alliance with other powerful city states
1. Corinth, Megara, Thebes
a. Peloponnesian League
IV.
V.
VI.
ii. March an army to meet the Athenians in 431 BC/BCE
First Quarter
a. In the first years Athens had the advantage
i. Athens had a lot of money
1. Delian League Treasury
ii. Athens had a lot of power
1. Persia gives them money
iii. Only Greek city that had a significant navy
b. Sparta could attack the countryside
i. But could not get inside the walls of Athens
1. Athens had naval superiority
a. Could get resupplied from the sea directly
into the city
Turning Point
a. Pericles was the Athenian statesman in charge of the war effort
i. He was also responsible for the rebuilding of Athens
b. Athenians from the countryside had come inside of the walls
for protection
i. Many poor people were living in wooden shacks
ii. Many middle class people were living in overcrowded,
one room houses
iii. Both cases did not have sufficient protection from the
weather or proper sanitation
iv. Not enough good food to eat
c. Plague spreads throughout Athens
i. Hundreds of people die
1. including Pericles
a. The man running the war effort
b. Athens has lost its leader
Alcibiades
a. When a dominant personality suddenly leaves a government
i. Especially in a Democracy
ii. Someone must fill the void
1. Known as a “Power Vacuum”
b. Alcibiades was a young Athenian noble from a rich family
i. Father died when he was young
1. Was raised in the house of Pericles
ii. His goal was to become greater than Pericles
iii. He was handsome, charming and an outstanding speaker
c. Alcibiades wants to do what is best for Alcibiades
d. Comes up with a risky plan
i. Athens will send an expedition to attack Syracuse
1. A Large Democracy on the eastern coast of Sicily
2. Sicily is where the Spartans got much of their food
3. Cut off the Spartan food supply
a. soldiers can’t fight if they can’t eat
ii. They would need a huge force to accomplish this
1. Athenian Assembly approves it
2. 40,000 soldiers on 200 Triremes
e. Alcibiades sets sail for Syracuse
i. After he leaves, he is put on trial for breaking statues
sacred to the god Hermes
ii. Found guilty
1. ship is sent to recall Alcibiades so he can receive
punishment
a. Most likely a death sentence
f. Alcibiades has no intention of appearing before the Athenian
Assembly for punishment
i. He goes to Sparta
ii. Advises the Spartans to help the Syracusans defeat the
Athenians
iii. Athens suffers a terrible defeat
1. all 40,000 soldiers die
g. Alcibiades leads attacks on Athenian colonies
i. Taking many in the name of Sparta
ii. Cannot stay out of trouble
1. Has an affair with a Spartan Queen
h. Alcibiades leaves Sparta for Persia
i. When Sparta asks Persia for money, he advises Persia to
only give the Spartans enough money to prolong the war
1. It is in the best interest of Persia to allow the
Greeks to beat each other up
ii. Persia is suspicious of Alcibiades’ advice
1. looks as if he is helping Athens
2. They stop trusting him
3. he leaves before they decide to kill him
i. Leaves Persia for Athens
i. Reassigned as a general
ii. Loses major naval battle off the coast of Asia Minor
1. Put a slave in charge of the fleet
2. Runs again and is eventually killed by the family
of a girl he had an affair with
VII. Spartan Navy
a. Sparta acquires enough funds to build warships to compete with
the now reduced Athenian Navy
i. Attack the Hellespont
1. Destroy enough Athenian Ships to eliminate
Athenian Naval Superiority
2. Cut off Athenian Food Supply
3. Starve Athens into Surrender
b. Sparta Wins Peloponnesian War
VIII. Aftermath
a. Terms of Surrender
i. Athens must not have a Navy
ii. Athens must not have Walls
iii. Athens must form an Oligarchy
1. 30 Athenians loyal to Sparta in charge
a. Called the 30 Tyrants
b. Could have destroyed Athens, but chose not to
i. Wanted Athens to remain a threat to the newly powerful
Thebes
IX. Nation Building
a. Refers to removing another country’s government because it
does not like you
i. It is a threat to your National interests.
b. And replacing it with a government who will work with you
c. Winning the war is the easy part
i. Defeat the rival government’s army on the battlefield
d. Winning the peace is difficult
i. The people of the new government must believe that the
government you put in is legitimate
1. Not your puppet doing whatever you say
X.
Spartan Nation Building
a. Sparta is excellent at winning the war
b. Horrible at winning the Peace
i. Force Democracies to become oligarchies
ii. Force conquered people to act like Spartans
1. if you dissent, you are killed
iii. Do not do a good job at convincing conquered people
that the Spartan way is the right way
1. Public speaking and rhetoric are not prized skills in
Sparta
a. Nobody is good at it
c. Treat allies poorly
i. Use Spartan allies to fight against the opposition’s best
soldiers
1. Spartans fight against the weakest
2. Spartan lives considered more important
3. Spartan lives considered more valuable
d. Aftermath
i. Thebes
1. Allie of Sparta
2. Forms a Democracy
ii. Sparta attacks Thebes
1. Instead of working with them
iii. Thebes changes battle tactics
1. How they fight
a. Put their best against Spartans
i. Kill more Spartans
b. Slingers and Archers
c. Cavalry
iv. Sparta does not change Tactics
1. Do not adapt to changes in warfare
a. Siege warfare of cities
b. Naval warfare
c. Slingers, Archers and cavalry
v. Sparta does not change culture
1. Needs soldiers because population has gone down
a. 30 years of war
b. Low birth rate
i. Soldiers must sneak out of Barracks
to procreate with wife
2. Does not change difficult training
a. Takes 17 years to make a Spartan soldier
vi. Sparta loses because there are not enough Spartan
soldiers to make a difference.