The reasons for Athenian failure in the Peloponnesian War Flashcards
Give 5 examples of Athenian democracy that made them lose
-Athenians executed 6 of 8 generals that won the battle of Arginusae (destroyed 77 ships) for not rescuing sailors (xenephon)
-“you are attacking me for having spoken in favour of war and yourselves for having voted for it” Thucydides
-Ostracise Kimon in 461bC despite his great victories he returns in 451
-Demagogy leads to mistakes like war in Sicily which Thucydides blames for Athens losing the war
-“They turned against the public speakers who had been in favour of the expedition as though they themselves had not voted for it” Thucydides
4 examples of Athenian imperialism going too far
® “Athens, with two wars on her hands … would be now easier to crush” [Thucydides, 7.18]
® “just as they won an empire in Hellas, so they are trying to win another one here” [Thucydides]
® Imperialistic nature of Athens meant “they are always abroad” Corinthian Complaint. [Thucydides]
® “What wore them down more than anything else was the fact that they had two wars on their hands at once” [Thucydides]
3 examples of Athens’ unpopularity
® “the whole of Hellas, after the great disaster in Sicily, turned immediately against Athens” + neutral states joined Sparta and “the subjects of Athens were all ready to revolt” [Thucydides]
® “The Athenians also feared that their allies would revolt, since Brasidas was […] constantly declaring wherever he went that his mission was the liberation of Hellas”. This and Athens’ defeat at Delium (424) inspired them and they “begging him to march on their territory” [Thucydides]
® At the start of the Peloponnesian War: “People’s feelings were generally very much on the side of the Spartans” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 2.8]
2 examples of Sparta gaining persian money
® Cyrus “gave to Lysander all the tribute which came in from his cities and belonged to him personally” [Xenophon, Hellenica, 2.1.13]
® “he made the ships of his enemies empty” by having Cyrus pay the sailors 4 obols instead of 3. [Plutarch, Life of Lysander, 4]
explain the occupation of Declea (6)
® (431) Alcibiades said “you must fortify Decelea in Attica” [Thucydides, 6.91]
® “the occupation of Decelea […] was one of the chief reasons for the decline of Athenian power” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 7.27]
® 20000 slaves deserted Athens, many from Laurium. [Thucydides, 7.27]
® Imports from Euboea now had to travel all around Sunium. [Thucydides, 7.27]
® “Every single thing that the city needed had to be imported, so that instead of a city it became a fortress” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 7.27]
® “the plague which did more harm and destroyed more life than almost any other single factor” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.23]
