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==Introduction==__NOTOC__[[File:PEP ONE.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|A bust of Pericles]]One of the most important wars in the Ancient World was the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192821911/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192821911&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5fd0b01d22c877e6aa555ca1eb8eacff Peloponnesian War ] (431-404 BCE). This The conflict was a long drawn out war between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies. It convulsed Greece and changed the course of the Classical world. The war ended the Golden Age of Athenian Culture and arguably weakened the Greek world forever. What was the cause of the Peloponnesian War? The origins of such a conflict are complex and these will be evaluated in this work. It will be argued in this piece The primary causes were that the ultimate origins of the war lay in Sparta’s fear Sparta feared of the growing might power and influence of the Athenian Empire. In the aftermath of the Persian Wars, the two powers could not come to an agreement on their respective spheres of influence and this led to friction and eventually outright war. Athens and its ambitions also led to increasing instability and this is exemplified in the Megarian Decree. The profoundly different societies of Athens and Sparta was also a significant factor in the war’s outbreak, which also had an ideological aspect.[[File:PEP ONE.jpg|thumbnail|200px|A bust of Pericles]]

==Background==The origins of the Peloponnesian War lay in the Greeks victory over the Persians. The Greeks had combined under the leadership of Sparta and Athens to defeat the Persians, then the most powerful empire in Asia. In the aftermath of war began after the Persian Wars, the Greeks were unable to maintain their unityended in 449 BCE. The Greek world was riven by cultural and ethnic differences and people’s first loyalty was two powers struggled to agree on their Polis or local city or community. There was a definite sense respective spheres of ‘Greekness’ and a common cultural heritage <ref> Kagan, Donald. The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1989), p. 56</ref>. Yet this was not enough to overcome deep divisions in the Greek world and as soon as the Persians left they immediately began to fall out amongst themselves. Sparta a very conservative society had opted out of the war with influence absent Persia once their invasion had been defeated. Athens continued the war against Persia and it formed the Delian League's influence. This League was an alliance of city-states disagreement led to friction and islands that vowed to continue the eventually outright war against the Persians<ref>Kagan, p. 113</ref>. Over time the Athenians Additionally, who were the largest maritime power in the Aegean came to dominate the Delian League. This was the Golden Age of Athens and was the era of Plato, Socrates and countless other great cultural figures and artists. Gradually the Athenians began to turn the Delian League into an Empire. Athens used its superior navy to intimidate its allies and they eventually became mere tributaries of the Athenians. Sparta soon became very suspicious of the growing power of Athens. It was the head of the powerful Peloponnesian League, which comprised large city-states such as Corinth and Thebesambitions caused increasing instability in Greece. The League became very concerned about the Athenians huge fleet of ships that allowed it to dominate its former allies. Athens had also been turned into a formidable stronghold, by the Athenians, when they constructed the ‘Long Walls’. These walls connected the city with its port, Piraeus and allowed the city to supply itself and made any siege profoundly different societies of the city unlikely to succeed <re> Kagan, p. 113</ref>. Athens growing ambitions led to tensions with its neighbors and eventually this led to a war. This involved Athens and Corinth, with the latter receiving some support from Sparta. This conflict ended with a peace treaty and was also a ‘Thirty Years Peace’, This significant factor in theory guaranteed Athens and Sparta their respective spheres of influence. Corinth and other members of the Peloponnesian League were unhappy about Sparta’s lack of leadership. Some leading Sparta became concerned that inaction would push the other major Greek powerswar’s outbreak, to side with Athenswhich also had an ideological aspect. 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. [[File: PEP Three.jpg|thumbnail|200px|Statuette of a Spartan Warrior]]

==Long-term Factors in the Outbreak of War==How did Athens growing power threaten Sparta?====The underlying cause of the war was the rapid rise of the Athenians. They had grown from just another city-state to an Empire. During and after the Persian Wars, it had transformed itself and became a major trading and maritime power <ref> Cawkwell, George. Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War (London[[File: Routledge, 1997), p 67</ref>PEP THREE. It had developed into the greatest maritime power in the Greek world and had the ability to dominate the trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean. It had emerged as jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|Statuette of a great Empire in a very quick period of time and this upset the traditional balance Spartan Warrior]]The origins of power. For many decades’ Sparta, had been the greatest power in Greece, this was based on its well-disciplined and much-feared army. The Spartan Hoplite were considered the best soldiers in the Greek world <ref>Hanson, Victor Davis. A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War. (New York: Random House, 2005), p. 56</ref>. The rise of Athens meant that there were two great powers lay in the Greek world. These powers both had a network of alliances all Greece's victory over the Greek world and beyondPersian Empire. The Greeks became divided into a Spartan and an Athenian camp<ref> Cawkwell, p.115</ref>. Athens and Sparta had different spheres of influences, as outlined in combined under the ‘Thirty Year Peace’ treaty and theoretically this meant that they both could have lived in peaceful co-existence. Athens controlled the coastal areas leadership of Greece and the Greek islands, while Sparta, a land power could control the Peloponnese. Despite this, Sparta grew increasingly fearful of Athens and its main ally Corinth was actively encouraging it to attack Athens<ref> Hanson, p. 117</ref>. In 440 BCE, Corinth urged the Spartans to wage war on Athens when it was suppressing a revolt on defeat the island of Samos. The Spartan Kings always cautious had decided not to become involved in a war with their former allies. HoweverPersians, then the Thirty Years Peace was under increasing strain. In the Spartan assembly, there was growing alarm at the growth of Athenian power <ref> Kagan, p. 134</ref>. As Athens seemed to be growing more most powerful there was a growing war-party empire in SpartaAsia. They argued that In the Spartans had to attack Athens before it became too powerful. The fear aftermath of Athens increasingly led the Spartans to prepare for warPersian Wars, even though there is no evidence that the Athenians had any designs on Sparta or its allies<ref>Kagan, pGreeks were unable to maintain their unity. 213</ref>. There Cultural and ethnic differences were those in Athens who believed that a war should be welcomeddriving the Greek world apart. There People’s first loyalty was a strong ‘imperial’ party in the often to their Polis or local city who believed that it was entitled to a great empire because of its role in the defeat of the Persians.

The belief that Spartan fear of Athens While there was the ultimate cause a definite sense of ‘Greekness’ and a common cultural heritage, it did not override the war was the view of Thucydidesmore local loyalties. According to, the great Greek historian, Thucydides the growth of the ‘power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Lacedaemon (Sparta), made war inevitable<ref>ThucydidesKagan, The Peloponnesian War 1Donald.67–71 <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801495563/ref>. "He believed that =as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0801495563&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=a72c6923cec3d4d8a05a33168424d78d The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War was inevitable]</i> (Ithaca, because when a rising power confronted another powerNY: Cornell University Press, they would inevitably wage a war against each other to further or protect their interests<ref>Thucydides1989), The Peloponnesian War 1p.67–71 56</ref>. Some later historians have also argued that war This notion of Greekness was inevitable between not enough to overcome deep divisions within the two greatest Greek powersworld. It is still widely held that in international relationsAs soon as the Persians left, the growth Greeks immediately began to quarrel with each other. Sparta, a deeply conservative society, had opted out of a nationthe war with Persia after their invasion was repelled. Athens continued the war against Persia and it formed the Delian League. This League was an alliance of city-state or empire will inevitably lead states and islands that vowed to rivalry and continue the war with an established power against the Persians until they no longer represented a threat to their alliance.<ref>Kagan, p. 71 113</ref>.

==Sparta and Athens==The Spartans and Over time the Athenians , who were very different societiesthe largest maritime power in the Aegean came to dominate the Delian League. This era constituted the Golden Age of Athens and was a democracyconcurrent with the lives of Plato, Socrates, and it was very individualisticAristotle. The population played a very important role in politics and indeed it was a radical democracy. The citizens Gradually, (only free males) could directly vote on the affairs Athenians began to turn the Delian League into an Empire. Athens used its superior navy to intimidate its allies and they eventually became mere tributaries of the cityAthenians. Sparta soon became very suspicious of Athens's growing power. Sparta was almost the opposite head of Athens in every way. It the powerful Peloponnesian League, which was a very stratified comprised of several large city-states, including Corinth and conservative societyThebes. It The League was ostensibly ruled by two kings, from two royal families<ref>Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 1very concerned about the Athenian fleet because it allowed Athens to dominate seas around Greece.67–71 </ref>. The kings shared power with Athens had also been turned into a council of elders (Gerousia)formidable stronghold when the city constructed the ‘Long Walls’. Sparta society depended on a servile population These walls connected the helots who toiled city with its port, Piraeus and allowed the lands city to supply itself and made any siege of Lacodemia for their Spartan mastersthe city unlikely to succeed.<ref>ThucydidesKagan, The Peloponnesian War 1p.67–71 113</ref> Athens growing ambitions led to tensions with its neighbors and eventually led to a war. This conflict involved Athens and Corinth, with the latter receiving some support from Sparta was . This war ended with a highly military society peace treaty and the need for a strong ‘Thirty Years Peace.’ This treaty, in theory, guaranteed Athens and well-disciplined army was the main concern Sparta their respective spheres of the stateinfluence. The state took boys from their family Corinth and trained them from youth to be soldiers. The role other members of women was to produce good soldiers and men the Peloponnesian League were expected to be brave warriorsunhappy about Sparta’s lack of leadership. The profound cultural and political differences between Some leading Spartans became concerned that their inaction would push the two great other major Greek powers contributed , to the war. They had real difficulties understanding each other and this lead to mutual suspicionsside with Athens. Because of their different political systems and cultures they were often ideologically opposed. Sparta favored During the many oligarchies so-called thirty Year Peace Athens grew ever stronger and distrusted the role of the common people in government. In contrastmany ways arrogant, Athens encouraged democracy and believed that it was the best form of government <ref>Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 1.67–71 </ref>. This ideological rivalry between Sparta and Athens did much to increase tensions as seen in the run up its increasing haughty attitude to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War and was a contributing factorits subject city-states. {{Mediawiki:TabletAd1}}

==Immediate causes ==How did the Peloponnesian War Start?====The underlying cause of the war was the rapid rise of the Athenians. They had grown from just another city-state into an Empire. During and after the Persian Wars, it had transformed itself and became a major trading and maritime power.<ref>Cawkwell, George. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FA5ZGY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000FA5ZGY&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=b0d12599fc35ad97a1a071a79c90ab5e Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War]</i> (London: Routledge, 1997), p 67</ref> It had developed into the greatest maritime power in the Greek world and could dominate the trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean. It had emerged as a great Empire in a quick period, and this upset the traditional balance of power. For many decades’ Sparta, had been the greatest military power in Greece. Sparta's well-disciplined and much-feared army was the source of its military power. The Spartan Hoplite was considered the best soldiers in the Greek world.<ref>Hanson, Victor Davis. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812969707/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812969707&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2988ca75b4a6858afae8101e8c5ce3d0 A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War]</i>. (New York: Random House, 2005), p. 56</ref>  The rise of Athens meant that there were two great powers in the Greek world. These powers both had a network of alliances all over the Greek world and beyond. The Greeks became divided into a Spartan and an Athenian camp.<ref>Cawkwell, p.115</ref> Athens and Sparta had different spheres of influences, as outlined in the ‘Thirty Year Peace’ treaty and theoretically this meant that they both could have lived in peaceful co-existence. Athens controlled the coastal areas of Greece and the Greek islands, while Sparta, a land power could control the Peloponnese. Despite this, Sparta grew increasingly fearful of Athens and its main ally Corinth was actively encouraging it to attack Athens.<ref>Hanson, p. 117</ref>  In 440 BCE, Corinth urged the Spartans to wage war on Athens at the same time as Cornith was suppressing a revolt on the island of Samos. The Spartan Kings were cautious and decided to avoid conflict with Athens at that time. However, the Thirty Years Peace was under increasing strain. In the Spartan assembly, they were growing alarmed at the growth of Athenian power.<ref> Kagan, p. 134</ref> As Athens seemed to be growing more powerful, there was a growing pro-war party in Sparta. They argued that the Spartans had to attack Athens before it became too powerful. The fear of Athens increasingly led the Spartans to prepare for war, even though there is no evidence that the Athenians had any designs on Sparta or its allies.<ref>Kagan, p. 213</ref> Additionally, there were those in Athens who believed that a war should be welcomed. There was a strong ‘imperial’ party in Athens who believed that it was entitled to a great empire because of its role in the defeat of the Persians. Sparta's concerns were not entirely unfounded. The tensions Greek historian Thucydides argued that Sparta's fear of Athens was the ultimate cause of the war. According to Thucydides, the growth of the ‘power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Lacedaemon (Sparta) made war inevitable."<ref>Thucydides, <i>The Peloponnesian War</i> 1.67–71</ref> Thucydides believed that the Peloponnesian War was inevitable because when a rising power confronted another power, they would inevitably wage a war against each other to further or protect their interests.<ref>Thucydides, <i>The Peloponnesian War</i> 1.67–71 </ref> Some later historians have also argued that war was inevitable between the two greatest Greek powers. It is still widely held that in international relations, the growth of a nation-state or empire will inevitably lead to rivalry and war with an established power.<ref>Kagan, p. 71 </ref> <dh-ad/> ====How fought in the Peloponnesian War?====The primary combatants in the Peloponnesian War were the city states of Athens and Sparta and had allies that supported them during the war. The Spartans and the Athenians had radically different societies. Athens was a democracy, and it was very individualistic. The population played a very important role in politics and indeed it was a fairly radical democracy for the time. The citizens, (only free males) could directly vote on the affairs of the city. Sparta was almost the opposite of Athens in every way. It was a very stratified and conservative society. It was ostensibly ruled by two kings, from two royal families.<ref>Thucydides, <i>The Peloponnesian War</i> 1.67–71 </ref> The kings shared power with a council of elders (Gerousia). Sparta society depended on a servile population. The helots toiled the lands of Lacodemia for their Spartan masters.<ref>Thucydides, <i>The Peloponnesian War</i> 1.67–71 </ref> Sparta was a highly militarized society and the need for a strong and well-disciplined army was the main concern of the state. The state took boys from their family and trained them from youth to be soldiers. The role of women was to produce good soldiers and men were expected to be brave warriors.  The profound cultural and political differences between the two great Greek only powers contributed to the war. They had real difficulties understanding each other and this lead to mutual suspicions. Because of their different political systems and cultures, they were often ideologically opposed. Sparta favored the many oligarchies and distrusted the role of the common people in government. In contrast, Athens encouraged democracy and believed that it was the best form of government.<ref>Thucydides, <i>The Peloponnesian War</i> 1.67–71</ref> 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. ====What event sparked the war between Athens and Sparta?====<div class="portal" style='float:right; width:35%'> ====Related DailyHistory.org Articles===={{#dpl:category=Ancient Greek History|ordermethod=firstedit|order=descending|count=7}}</div>[[File:PEP FOUR.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Vase showing an Athenian ship, a Trireme]]The tensions between the Athenians and Sparta grew. Thucydides noted that many believed that war was only a matter of time and that the Thirty Years Peace Treaty would soon be brokenby one side or the other. There All Greece needed was a crisis when spark to start a Greek colony in war.  Thrace that was in and Athens had a dispute with Athens and the Thracians, a Spartan ally, asked the Spartans for assistance. Athens despite this laid decided to lay siege to the colony. The Athenians, at this time were also in dispute with the small city-state of Megara and they . They unilaterally banned the ships of that city Megara from its port and its allies. This became known as the Megarian Decree. Megara was a long-time Spartan ally and this was widely resented, as it was seen as an attempt to make Megara completely dependent on Athens<ref>Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 1.71-73 </ref>. [16] This was not acceptable to Sparta and they believed that if Megara came within the orbit of the Athenians that they would use the port to weaken their position in Greece.  Sparta, supported by her allies demanded that Athens withdraw the Megarian decree, but this was opposed by Athens. Pericles the de-facto leader of the Athenian Empire argued against such a move as it would only encourage the Spartans to make more demands.<ref>Kagan, p. 115</ref>. Thucydides states that the Corinthians condemned Sparta's lack of action until then and warned them that they had remained too passive for too long. They demanded action. Sparta was concerned that if it displayed any weakness that this could lead to its losing its pre-eminent position in the Peloponnese League.<ref>Thucydides, <i>The Peloponnesian War </i> 1.67–71 </ref>.  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. This strategy was recommended by Pericles to the Athenians and was much praised by Thucydides. Sparta began to contemplate war but they seemed unwilling to formally declare war. Then the situation spun out of control when allies of Sparta attacked the allies of Athens. The Spartans came to believe that they had no choice but to go to war. In 431 BCE, the senior Spartan king led an army into the countryside around Athens and laid it waste. This was the start of the great Peloponnesian War. The early years of the war were a stalemate because according to Thucydides writings, this was because the Athenians followed Pericles cautious strategy.<ref>Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 2.69–71 </ref>. Later Athens, encouraged by Alcibiades launched the Sicilian expedition to conquer Sicily during a lull in the fighting, known as the Peace of Nicias. This proved to be a disaster and it led to the loss of an Athenian army and navy. Remarkably, the Athenians continued to fight and the Spartans needed Persian help to defeat them.<ref>Thucydides, <i>The Peloponnesian War </i> 6.6–11 </ref>. The destruction of the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami ended the war, and Athens surrendered the following year. Athens was forced to tear down its Long Walls and was fortunate not to be utterly destroyed. [[File:PEP FOUR.jpg|thumbnail|200px|Vase showing an Athenian ship, a Trireme]]==Conclusions==What were the longterm effects of the Peloponnesian War on Greece?====

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