Transcript The Peloponnesian War Greece what are you thinking!

The Peloponnesian War
Greece what are you thinking!
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Nearing the end of the 5th century
BCE a devastating war broke out
between Athens and Sparta
This war would see a decline of
Greek military power and Civilization
Greece had seen much friendship
and cooperation, but that would soon
break down.
The war would rage for 27 years
How did this all start?
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The 5 minute Version!
Athens had a growing empire and other
city states were getting nervous
(Especially Sparta)
In 434 BCE Athens joined in an alliance
with Corcyra (A Corinthian Colony):
Athens would fight a sea battle against
Corinth
Athens grew nervous about Corinthian
colonies to the north (Potidaea) and
demanded that they tear down their
defensive walls. They refused and
asked Sparta for help
The Peloponnesian League
The Peloponnesian League: also
called Spartan Alliance, was a military
coalition of Greek city-states led by
Sparta, formed in the 6th century BCE.
League policy, usually decisions on
questions of war, peace, or alliance,
was determined by federal
congresses, summoned by the
Spartans when they thought fit; each
member state had one vote. The
league was a major force in Greek
affairs, forming the nucleus of
resistance to the Persian invasions
(480–479) and fighting against Athens
in the Peloponnesian War.
The War in a nutshell
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The Spartans were focused on
total victory – so much so they
entered into an alliance with Persia
Sparta promised to give Persia the
Ionian coast in exchange for gold
to build a navy
A number of battles broke out and
in 429 BCE Sparta pushed Athens
all the way to their gates – The
Athenian Plague broke out
Athens was fortunate to win
several key victories and in
421BCE each side sued for peace.
Only Athens and Sparta
recognized it.
The beginning of the end
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The peace was all but gone when
Athens sent an expedition to Sicily
(415-412 BCE)
This expedition was so disastrous
Athens would loose half of its force
(Naval and Hoplites)
Athens would never recover from this
defeat and would eventually surrender
to Sparta in 404 BCE
Effects of the War
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The war was terrible for everyone
involved – Athens lost a huge
portion of its empire / population
The ancient world lost a city
dedicated to the arts
Citizens lost faith in their city states
and the common good. It become
more about the individual – money
and safety
The Polis could no longer function
What followed was years of internal
war – Sparta would rule Greece
then would be over thrown by the
Thebans (371 BCE)
Greece was now on the decline
Before Greece would crumble it
would burn bright once more for a
brief moment...