Chris Owino

Department of Health Science, University of the People

HIST 1421 : Greek and Roman Civilization
Instructor Jesse Davis
May 2nd, 2024.

THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR AND THE FALL OF DEMOCRACY IN GREEK

INTRODUCTION
The involvement of the Peloponnesian by the Athens as well as the eventual destruction of its society in
411 BCE is a complex subjected that actually calls for a comprehensive examination of historical sources
including data. Therefore, in my response, I will look into the causes behind Athens perceived queer
behavior and conduct during the war in assessing whether it could have resulted in the fall of
democracy.

Athens could not effectively handle the Peloponnesian War, do you agree? Why/why not?

Athens encountered some notable obstacles such as economic pressure as well as internal discord
despite the fact that they had strong naval force together with alliances. As documented by Thucydides
the costly venture of Sicily in 415 BCE interfered with Athens resources thereby weakening their military
capabilities hence contributing to their vulnerabilities to counter their enemies during the
Peloponnesian war. The conflict between Sparta and Athens led to Peloponnesian war that lasted from
431 to 404 BCE in which the Athens with its formidable navy as well as government of democracy was
completely shuttered and badly defeated by the poor state of Sparta. At first , Athens was sure of victory
under her arrogant leader during the period known as Pericles. There are several circumstances that
could actually led to their ultimate loss and fall. Some factors that contributed to its loss are like the war
management in which they excessively relied on its navy. It is from this that they developed a plan to
avoid direct ground engagements as they focused on their naval strength. Moreover, the long wall policy
seemed to preserve Athens as well as its supplies of food through linking the city with its port of Piraeus.
Even though this policy was initially successful it led to Athens neglecting its land troops resulting in
reduction in overall military capability. In addition , the dependency on imperial tribute by the Athens to
fund the war effort also displayed an attitude of privilege as well as complacency. It was their gullibility
and naivety that their naval might combined with financial backing was a sure triumph. Little did they
know that this reliance on tribute could cause friction among the members of the League which was a
coalition of city states commanded by Athens. It is this that led many member states despising Athens’s
rules imposed on them as well as the high cost of tribute payments resulting in revolts and the fall of
democracy after the Peloponnesian war decrease in support for Athens.It is the catastrophic epidemic
that indeed devastated Athens in 430 BCE that worsen Athens’ troubles during the battle. This plague
really damaged Athens military and commercially interfere with its production. Finally, the loss of troops
as well as resources actually hampered Athens’ ability to handle the conflict successfully.

Is it correct to say that democracy in Athens was overthrown after the war?
 It is beyond doubt that Athens management of the Peloponnesian War importantly tested their
democratic structures and it is important to include other factors that actually played some roles in their
downfall (Kagan,2003).According to Kagan (2003) , it is worth noting that despite all these difficulties ,
Athens made big advances during this conflict, for example, the Athenian Navy won several major
battles including the Battle of Arginusae in 406 BCE. Moreover, Athens’ democratic administration
encouraged political engagement as well as debate thereby aiding the city’s resilience as well as
adaptability in the periods of war. It is a fact that the downfall of democracy in Athens was realized after
the war. It is in during 411 BCE that the four hundred oligarchs took power in Athens thereby creating an
oligarchic administration. However, this dictatorship was temporary as it faced criticism from the
democratic supporters leading to the revival of democracy in 410 BCE in a modified form known as the
Second Athenian Democracy.

Ober (1996) explains that the fall of democracy in Athens cannot be purely ascribed exclusively to its
management of the Peloponnesian war, but was also contributed by the result of several
circumstances which include the influence of the war on Athens finances as well as morale , inner
political rivalry including the yearning for political reforms amongst some elements of the people. With
regard that the war aggravated existing conflicts within the Athenian society it was not really the only
cause of the uprising revolt.

Conclusion

It is therefore important to summarize that Athens handling of the Peloponnesian war was problematic
in many different ways that include its over-reliance on their navy resulting to complacency as result of
tribute payments. Notwithstanding, it is of great importance to note that Athens made great
contributions during the conflict so the fall of democracy came after the Peloponnesian which was not
exclusively owing to the city states bad handling of the fight. All in all ,the burden of the war on Athens
resources ,internal political rivalry as well as the need for political reform were all factors in the uprising.
It is through a thorough examination of the historical reports such Thucydides’ history of the
Peloponnesian war providing an important insights into this complicated and complex time of the
Athenian history( Thucydides & Crawly ,2004).

References

Kagan, D. (2003). The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan. Open Library.

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7641221M/The_Peloponnesian_War

Ober. (1996). The Athenian Revolution: Essays on Ancient Greek Democracy and Political
Theory. JSTOR. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv14164gc.12

Thucydides, & Crawley. (2004, December 1). The history of the Peloponnesian War by
Thucydides. Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7142