Here are 10 interesting facts about the causes, outcome, effects and history of this historic ancient Greek war. Corinth warned Athens against breaking the 30 year peace by making an alliance with Corcyra. Even without the income generated by the empire, democracy proved to be a well-functioning political system. Thucydides noted that many believed that war was only a matter of time and that the Thirty Years Peace Treaty would soon be broken by one side or the other. (2020, February 11). Flashcards. Over time many events contributed to the eventual war between Sparta and Athens. Historians that attribute responsibility for the war to Athens cite this event as the main cause for blame. Athens was a democracy, and it was very individualistic. * We will never share your email with third party advertisers or send you spam. The conflict was a long drawn out war between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies. Tessa Leesen. It was obvious the Corinthians that Athenians were going to continue to stand by Corcyra. It was a racing game between city-states; city-states all around Greece were experiencing extreme poverty, and preparing for war was the only way to accommodate their allies. His on the scene reporting was the first of its kind and has been used by historians and political theorists for the last twenty four hundred years. The three phases of the war, which again, are the Archidamian war, the Sicilian Expedition and the Decelean war, show … Use code save10u during checkout. Certainly it was Athens’ control of trade and, more specifically, the exclusion of Megara from the Athenian agora and the harbours of the Empire which gave the Peloponnesians an excuse for war. The causes of the Peloponnesian War. The war ended the Golden Age of Athenian Culture and arguably weakened the Greek world forever. In Athens, the democratic system survived. October 28, 2014. https://www.ultius.com/ultius-blog/entry/causes-of-peloponnesian-war.html. The Peloponnesian War was a war fought in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta—the two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece at the time (431 to 405 B.C.E.). Causes of the Peloponnesian War. The 440s B.C. Nothing was the same after the war, and Athens was never to be as powerful. Athenian control of Delian League, Used other city-states money to rebuild Athens, city states were forced to stay. Athens forces other city-states to contribute money and materials to the Delian League, Sparta forms Peloponnesian League in response to Delian Leagu, Sparta is fearful of Athens growing power - even jealous of it, Pericles ambition to … [11] Some later historians have also argued that war was inevitable between the two greatest Greek powers. History of the Peloponnesian War. Corinth and other members of the Peloponnesian League were unhappy about Sparta’s lack of leadership. Corcyraeans had a hostile response to the new allies and gathered their army to fight for Epidamnus. It is interesting to apply Thucydides’ judgment of the “truest cause” of the later war to the outbreak of this one. … The Spartans came to believe that they had no choice but to go to war. This war broke out because of a series of incidents, which were mentioned, in the previous paragraph. [8] As Athens seemed to be growing more powerful, there was a growing pro-war party in Sparta. Ultius Blog, 28 Oct. 2014. https://www.ultius.com/ultius-blog/entry/causes-of-peloponnesian-war.html. As soon as the Persians left, the Greeks immediately began to quarrel with each other. The causes for the Peloponnesian war were both fundamental or long term and also incidental, or short term. The defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War caused the downfall of Greece, and the end of the Classical Age. Corinthians support to Epidamnus did not settle well with Corcyra, especially after learning that an army was built in defense. 764 Words 4 Pages. [15] This ideological rivalry between Sparta and Athens did much to increase tensions in the run-up to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War and was a contributing factor. The causes of the main Peloponnesian War need to be traced at least to the early 430s—the Great Gap period—although if Thucydides was right in his general explanation for the war, namely Spartan fear of Athenian expansion, the development of the entire 5th century and indeed part of the 6th were relevant.. What was the Spartan Training called the Agoge? The result has been that you did not call together” (73). After the meeting, the Spartans asked everyone to leave so they could discussion the decision to move forward with the war in private. The citizens (only free males) could directly vote on the affairs of the city. The Corinthians were not backing down, following the war against the Corcyraeans, Corinthians spent time and money building new ships and trained rowers from the Peloponnese to fight against Corcyra. Megara was a long-time Spartan ally, which was widely resented, as it was seen as an attempt to make Megara completely dependent on Athens. Once Athens had issued the Megarian decree, it initiated a chain of events that led to the Spartan invasion of the Athenian territory. The war is named for the Peloponnesus, the peninsula on which Sparta is located. What Were the Origins of Ancient Macedon (aka Macedonia)? This can partly be explained from the fact that during the war, the economy of Athens changed. Athens controlled Greece's coastal areas and the Greek islands, while Sparta, a land power, could control the Peloponnese. As Thucydides says in Karl Walling’s article, “Never had so many human beings been exiled, or so much human blood been shed” (4). In this provocative and wide-ranging examination of the causes of the Peloponnesian war, first published in 1972, Geoffrey de Ste Croix argued against most previous historiography (which tended to blame Athens), that the Spartans and their allies must bear the immediate and ultimate responsibility for the war. He identifies three major causes that contributed to the war: the dispute over Epidamnus; the dispute over Corcyra; and the dispute of the Potidaea. Athens' aggressive policies did not help the situation- the city-state's ambitions certainly provoked the Spartans. Athens and the Delian League. This era constituted the Golden Age of Athens and was concurrent with Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle's lives. Causes of Peloponnesian War. The Peloponnesian War was a conflict in ancient Greece that redefined the structure of power in the Greek-speaking world. Flashcards. The Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War occurred between the years from 431 to 404 BC. PLAY. Causes of the Peloponnesian War. Harmondsworth, Eng. The Corinthians built a land and sea army with the help from Ambraciots, Leucadians, and native Corinthians. Two major opponents that were fighting against each other due to the series of events that started when Epidamnus lost power and changed governments what the Athenians and the cities of Peloponnese (which was led by the Spartans). Throughout the Ancient Greek world, there have been many wars and standoffs. The primary causes were that Sparta feared the growing power and influence of the Athenian Empire. Funds can be used for tuition, books, housing, and/or other school expenses. Sparta was also suspicious of the Athenians' project to rebuild their Long Wall fortifications whi… [19] The destruction of the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami ended the war, and Athens surrendered the following year. The Coycyaeans understood this order, but with the Corinthians coming up by sea to fight another battle, the Athenians had no choice but to let the Corcyraeans defend themselves (though the Athenians did not participate in the battle at first, due to the treaty). His 2003 book provides a detailed breakdown of the politics, alliances, and events that led to the war. The Causes of the Peloponnesian War: Ephorus, Thucydides and Their Critics. I believe. Custom writing from scratch. Print your assignment and bring it to class! Congress of the Peloponnesian Confederacy at Lacedaemon CHAPTER IV. The Corinthians then retreated back home. The causes of the Peloponnesian War constitute such a persistent theme in discussions of fifth-century Greek history, in part because of the complexity of the aetiological view … After the battle between the Corcyraeans, Athenians, and Corinthians, many city-states became aggravated with the Athenians, and doubted the authenticity of allies, each city-state preparing to be on one side of the war. These two communities were the superpowers of the region during that time. Retrieved from Ultius | Custom Writing and Editing Services, https://www.ultius.com/ultius-blog/entry/causes-of-peloponnesian-war.html. PLAY. Corinthians speech to the Spartans shed light on their own government, and even complains that they have reached out to them regarding the Athenians aggressions. Sparta insults … The Spartans and the Athenians had radically different societies. This disagreement led to friction and eventually outright war. In both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War… The primary causes were that Sparta feared the growing power and influence of the Athenian Empire. It is interesting to apply Thucydides’ judgment of the “truest cause” of the later war to the outbreak of this one. Megarian Decree "No Megarian shall stand/ on sea or on land/ and from our markets they're utterly banned!" It convulsed Greece and changed the course of the Classical world. They had real difficulties understanding each other, and this lead to mutual suspicions. Sparta society depended on a servile population. Sparta soon became very suspicious of Athens's growing power. Additionally, Athens and its ambitions caused increasing instability in Greece. Fought between the allies of Sparta and the empire of Athens, the crippling... Thucydides on the Cause of the Peloponnesian War. This war shifted power from Athens to Sparta, making Sparta the most powerful city-state in the region. Sparta, seeing Athens prosperity, soon grew worried that Athens might try to incorporate the … 431BC. The role of women was to produce good soldiers, and men were expected to be brave warriors. Hi, I'm writing an essay on the causes of the Peloponessian war, but I'm having some difficulty finding good info. The major cities that were involved and were the primary cause of the war were the two mother cities, Corinth and Corcyra, and Athens. There are a number of factors that led to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian war. Causes of the Peloponnesian War Athens and Sparta formed . This war shifted power from Athens to Sparta, making Sparta the most powerful city-state in the region. [1] This notion of Greekness was not enough to overcome deep divisions within the Greek world. The Corcyra never joined the Athenian League or the Spartans, which made them nervous to fight the Corinthians because they did not have enough manpower or allies. Our next drawing will be held soon. Annoyed and frustrated with Corcyra despicable actions, Corinthians put up an army and went after the allies of Corcyra. Sparta's concerns were not entirely unfounded. 3: Consequences. Causes of the war. [13] The kings shared power with a council of elders (Gerousia). History. The First Peloponnesian War was on. Realizing the backlash of the change in governments, Epidamnus found themselves in trouble and sought aid from Corcyra. The profoundly different Athens and Sparta societies were also a significant factor in the war’s outbreak, which also had an ideological aspect. Answers (1) Norah Today, 18:45. [17], The Athenians were extremely confident, and they knew that as long as they had their navy and their ‘Long Walls’ that they could not be defeated even if they could not beat Sparta and her allies on the battlefield. The Histories, a historical text, was written by Athenian Thucydides, who was considered one of the first historians to produce a book that was written using a scientific application and without reference to the gods. Warner, Rex, and M. I. Finley. While Thucydides seemed quite certain that he … Write. What did Achilles do in the Trojan War and how important was he in Greek culture? This war broke out because of a series of incidents, which were mentioned, in the previous paragraph. Print. Thucydides’ balanced and richly detailed account has not convinced everyone, however. The fundamental cause of the Peloponnesian War was А) Sparta's fear and jealousy of the power and wealth of Athens B Athens's fear of Sparta's growing empire in Greece Rome's attempt to expand into Greece Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian Empire. Apply today for your chance to win! From the end of the Persian to the beginning of the Peloponnesian War - The Progress from Supremacy to Empire CHAPTER V. Second Congress at Lacedaemon - Preparations for War … This hostility was caused by the growing Athenian Empire as a major power in the Aegean Sea. He breaks down the root causes of what led up to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, identifying the Ancient Greek cities and culture involved, and which cities played a major role leading to the outbreak. During the so-called thirty Year Peace, Athens grew ever stronger and in many ways arrogant, as seen in its increasing haughty attitude to its subject city-states. However, the Thirty Years Peace was under increasing strain. Corcyra responded with their army and the two cities took a position for a period of time. [16] This was not acceptable to Sparta, and they believed that if Megara came within the orbit of the Athenians, they would use the port to weaken their position in Greece. However, there has been only one which changed the … Right now my three causes are differences between Athens's and Sparta's government, military status and political views, so if anyone has anything to elaborate on that, that would be great! The Peloponnesian War changed Greece in every way. It had transformed itself during and after the Persian Wars and became a major trading and maritime power. The dispute over Corcyra was a result of the dispute of the Epidamnus and leads to the dispute of the Potidaea. Then the situation spun out of control when the allies of Sparta attacked the allies of Athens. It convulsed Greece and changed the course of the Classical world. Peloponnesian War reshaped the ancient Greek world. Greek culture demanded the city stand firm in their agreement with a fellow ally. The causes of the main Peloponnesian War need to be traced at least to the early 430s—the Great Gap period—although if Thucydides was right in his general explanation for the war, namely Spartan fear of Athenian expansion, the development of the entire 5th century and indeed part of the 6th were relevant. The third cause of the Peloponnesian War was likely due to Sparta's rebellion. The fundamental cause of the Peloponnesian War was А) Sparta's fear and jealousy of the power and wealth of Athens B Athens's fear of Sparta's growing empire in Greece Rome's attempt to expand into Greece Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian Empire. The war featured two periods of combat separated by a six-year truce. After the Spartan rejection of Cimon’s troops it could scarcely have been avoided. The verity of his reports and the justice of his perceptions have been the cause of controversy amongst scholars for centuries. Starting with the change in Epidamnus’ government, the partnership between Epidamnus and the Corinthians, Athens showed poor leadership traits by breaking the Peace Treaty with the Peloponnesians and forming defenses against their allies, the Corinthians motivation to continue to fight despite their loss battles against Corcyra and Athens betrayal, the continued support Athens gave to Corcyra after the Corinthians gave Athenians an opportunity to change sides, the battles involving surrounds city-states, all were causes that led up to the Peloponnesian War. Gradually, the Athenians began to turn the Delian League into an Empire. The Greek historian Thucydides argued that Sparta's fear of Athens was the ultimate cause of the war. The two sides went back and forth with offers and counteroffers, however, the Corinthians were ready to attack and repeatedly denied any offer. After the Persian navy was destroyed at the battle of Mycale, the Athenians founded the Delian League to … In order to explore the rationale of this war, clhistorians have borrowed much from Thucydides’ writings. Indeed, this is at the core of Diodorus’ account of the causes of the Peloponnesian War (12.38–41), the main source for which, Diodorus tells us, was the fourth-century historian Ephorus of Cyme (FGH 70 F 196). Once they succeeded in preventing Persian conquest, the two city-states did maintain their alliance. Little is known about Thucydides’ life apart from the few biographical references in his masterwork. Many historical accounts make brief mention of the earlier Persian Wars, which undervalues their importance as a contributing factor to the later war. Ships of that Megara from its port and its ambitions caused increasing instability Greece. Economy of Athens and Sparta and demanded that Athens withdraw the Megarian Decree which most commentators claimed the! 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