The Peloponnesian War

The Classical Mind
W.T. Jones
1980

Chapter 2 - Education through violence

In order to understand Plato one must understand both the pre-Socratic philosophers and the state of affairs in Athens and greater Greece at the time of Plato's life. Plato grew up in the Peloponnesian War.

Thucydides - "War is a teacher who educates through violence; and he makes men's characters fit their condition" (Jones, 41).

FUTURE MODERN ANCIENT GREEKS - Our traveler must enter in a classroom being conducted by Mr. War, who I envision looks an awful lot like the WWF wrestler The Ultimate Warrior

The Peloponnesian war was brought about by both economic and ideological rivalry between Sparta and Athens.  

Sparta:

- Marriage was a contract to produce the healthiest of children
- It was forbidden for any Spartan to engage in money-making professions
- They were soldiers, the best in Greece but had a small population that ruled over a large population of serfs who had zero political rights
- oligarchical rule

Athens

- Direct Democracy: In Athens the 40,000 native males made up the Assembly that ruled the 400,000 inhabitants of the city. The Assembly was the legislative, judicial and executive branch of the government
- Athens acquired an empire of city-states, mostly on the Aegean islands that paid tribute money for the protection of the Athenian navy

The clash between Athens and Sparta was inevitable. Athens was, in the 5th century BC able to challenge Sparta militarily and crush other commercial centers financially. Eventually, Corinth and Sparta teamed up to stamp out the growing Athenian menace.

The war lasted 27 years and began with Pericles' policy to allow the Spartans and their allies to ravage the countryside, pulling all the population into the city's walls. Pericles thought that with the financial advantages and the naval advantages he could win a war of attrition. He might have been correct had not an overpopulated Athens been ravaged by the plague and rich families bemoan his policies leading to infighting.

Athens still might have won a defensive war had not direct democracy gotten in the way. A young general named Alcibiades convinced the Assembly to attack Syracuse in Sicily that resulted in the decimation of Athens' forces. Still, the war limped on another 10 years before some of the wealthiest families in Athens looked to make peace with Sparta and reclaim some normalcy. They figured that they could be granted political preference by Sparta and restore the old oligarchy. Likewise, they figured that good governance was preferable to the freedom and disorganized and chaotic government that the Assembly provided.