The Peloponnesian War and Greece’s Search for Stability, Essay Example

Prior to the Peloponnesian War, ancient Greece faced rampant discord, conflict, and disunity, which generated high levels of trepidation in the city-states. As such, this trepidation fomented fear in the Greek city-states while also eliciting optimism in Sparta and Athens, the two major players who stood to gain influence, although other city-states on mainland Greece became involved in the struggle. The Persian Wars caused seismic power shifts in the region, so the desire for security undergirded the motives for the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. Sparta and her political allies triggered this peninsular conflict out of the desire to safeguard themselves against Athens, a city-state that demonstrated its military strength and power during the Persian Wars. This struggle for security was exacerbated by the tenuous nature of yet dependence on alliances for regional hegemony. Athen conveyed its desire to pursue empire for the purpose of its own security. Thus, the motive for the Peloponnesian war was born from unstable political alliances, Athens’ desire for empire, and the meteoric rise of Athens to power.

For decades, Sparta was the hegemonic force in ancient Greece because of its unrivaled military strength, which is why Athen’s burgeoning power posed a significant threat to Sparta in the region. For over four centuries, Sparta had a highly militaristic and stratified government that over the years developed into a highly devoted war machine. Indeed, soldiers constituted the top echelon of the Spartan social structure, and they were prohibited from partaking in any business or agricultural activities. In large part, the Spartan war machine grew out of fear that slaves would rise up and lead an insurrection against the state, thereby cultivated internal conflict and dissension that would undermine Spartan hegemony in Hellas. The need to maintain control and stability at home rendered them hesitant to send military forces to fight the Persians during the Persian Wars, which enabled Athens to become a military force that could counter Sparta.

Nonetheless, Sparta’s military prowess manifested in its long-standing control over the Peloponnesian League, which refers to an alliance forged amongst the Greek city-states. Although nominally all of the city-states were considered to possess equal power, Sparta possessed all of the power because the league germinated out of the strength of the Spartan military. Indeed, each city-state forged a bilateral alliance with Sparta based on a promise that it would acquiesce to Sparta’s demands, which is why Sparta dictated when the league members had to go to war. Members of the city-states were autonomous except in the case of war, yet Sparta promised to provide military security to members in the case of internal revolt. While Athens was not a meek entity, it did not possess the formidable strength that Sparta was renowned for. However, the Persian Wars and their aftermath enabled Athens to exhibit its military might, which effectively laid the foundation for the Peloponnesian War. The southern position of Sparta, and thus the relative distance of Sparta from Persia, undergirded its hesitancy to send any military troops to the far north, yet Athens rushed to combat because of its proximity to the battlefield and thus desire to defend itself from possible invasion.

With the absence of Sparta, Athens showcased its capacity to lead a Greek alliance and execute successful military campaigns. As such, the Delian League formed with Athens at the helm and was designed to be more democratic in nature than the Peloponnesian League, although this goal was merely nominal. Athens remained in control of the League’s purse, which further consolidated Athenian power.  As such, the Delian League helped Athens build up manpower and money in order to pursue empire and encroach on Spartan territory. The very existence of the competing Leagues created security problems for all of the city-states, thereby cultivating high levels of instability in the aftermath of the Persian Wars as each wanted to secure its autonomy, protection, and status amidst such discord and turmoil. Security, however, was predicated largely on competing states being weak, which cultivated a potentially violent and severe conflicts of interests. Neither the Delian League nor the Peloponnesian League were strong and stable enough to consolidate power or become hegemonic in the region. As such, the Peloponnesian War broke out between the two main city-states out of desire for regional hegemony.

Ultimately, Sparta proved victorious in the Peloponnesian War, although the victory proved futile as the city-states quickly became embroiled in further conflict and squabbling until Alexander the Great rose to power and conquered the entire region, including Persia. Had the Athenians proved victorious, the course of history in the western world may have been completely different. However, such a notion remains pure conjecture. The desire for security in addition to regional hegemony were the primary impulses of the Peloponnesian War, which spawned in the aftermath of the Persian Wars amidst rampant instability and discord. The Greek city-states wanted to pursue their own interests and consolidate their power.  Athens’ rise to power instilled fear in Sparta because it undermined Sparta’s historic hegemony, while the smaller city-states worried that Athenian impulse to expand would strip them of their autonomy. Constant switching of alliances between the Delian and Peloponnesian Leagues rendered both ineffective. Nonetheless, the Peloponnesian War resulted in immense population losses, financial difficulties, destroyed farms and critical lands, and ravages wrought by plague that created various hardships for the Greek city-states. The war spawned various political and social animosities that resulted in an unstable political landscape.  Ultimately, the war ensured that unification would never manifest in the region because trust amongst the city-states was breached while the war weakened the city-states, thereby rendering them vulnerable to foreign attack.

Works Cited

Hunt, Lynn. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. Print.