Athens and Sparta -- Was War Inevitable? Between 500 and 350 BC the area now known as Greece was but a collection of separate and unallied city-states. Today, we often view cultures and political conflict in terms of nations, and take the view that Continue Reading...
Athens lost the Peloponnesian War for two main reasons. The first was the drain of fighting Sparta, Sparta's allies, Corinth, and Thebes. The protracted, atrocious, and murderous war lasted nearly three decades, gnawing away at the agrarian infrastru Continue Reading...
History Of the Peloponnesian War Thucydides asserts that the Peloponnesian War was caused by "…the rise of Athenian power and the fear this caused in Sparta." Does this argument place the blame for the start of the war on Athens or on Sparta? Continue Reading...
Athens counseled Sparta to use caution and care, to find arbitration, to find a way to mitigate the circumstances prior to giving into the fear paradigm, and resultant war. Make your decision with the slow deliberate care due to important matters, Continue Reading...
S. administration after Truman's adopted Kennan's policy of 'containment' or its variation as a cornerstone of their foreign policy right until the eventual collapse of Communism in 1989. ("Kennan and Containment" n.d.) References Bell, P.M.H. (200 Continue Reading...
In order to do so, Kim built up a formidable army which was armed by the Soviets. His army was also bolstered by the arrival of veteran Korean fighters from China after the end of the Chinese civil war between the Communist and the Nationalists in w Continue Reading...
Strategy -- Rulers, States and War It is very difficult to look at the history of humanity and define a number of common, yet intangible philosophies of action that seem to be part of the overall human condition. One of these intangibles is the hum Continue Reading...
Life and Politics in Ancient GreeceBy any standard, ancient Greece had powerful influences on modern Western civilization, including its politics, architecture, philosophy, art, language as well as science and mathematics. It is therefore important t Continue Reading...
There was still plenty of bickering (Herodotus 506), but in general, the Greeks had now finally learned the first of the two "lessons" that some read in the Ionian Revolt and its defeat: In any effort against superior numbers, unity is essential to Continue Reading...
Machiavelli and Thucydides share remarkable similarities in their thoughts about human nature and the role of the state, but differ somewhat in their ideas about leadership. Machiavelli and Thucydides share a similar view of human nature as basically Continue Reading...
Thucydides was an Athenian, but had very little reason for offering a distorted view of the war that was eventually won by Sparta. Jackson states, "Thucydides was an active participant in Athens for a time, he had a network of contacts, while banis Continue Reading...
Economics in Ancient Civilization It is said that "Rome was not built in a day." Indeed, the Roman Empire was the last of a series of civilizations to emerge in the Mediterranean by the First Millennium, B.C. Precursors to the culture most identifie Continue Reading...
Most movingly, perhaps, in the final part of his speech, Pericles turns to the fathers and mothers who have given up sons and spouses to the war. He states that the parents who are still young should have more children, children who will be able to Continue Reading...
Herodotus is called first historian, as he was the first known author of the historical book called the Histories, which contained various myths, legends and also many important historical events that were commented by this great Greek. Herodotus wa Continue Reading...
policies of Pericles contributed to the expanding power and influence of the Athenian Empire Pericles was an Athenian political leader mostly accountable for the complete growth in the 5th century, of both the empire and democracy of Athens. As a r Continue Reading...
Almost all contemporary political theory and political philosophy can be traced to a handful of essential source texts, including those written thousands of years ago. Plato’s Republic and his Protagoras dialogue also include elements of metaph Continue Reading...
The History is incomplete as far as the war is concerned because it ends abruptly with the narrative of the events of 411 BC. Thucydides discusses his historical method and related issues in the early section, known as the "Archaeology" section. Th Continue Reading...
