Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian war is traditionally divided into three phases: the Archidamian war (431-421), Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition (421-413), and the Ionian war (413-404). The war was between the city-states of Athens and Sparta and their respective allies. Major fighting occurred during the Archidamian War. The first ten years of the war are named after the Spartan King Archidamus, who had opposed war with Athens and whose cautions policy dominated Spartan strategy at the start of the war. The end of the fighting ended at the Ionian War that was a surprise to the Spartans, along with most of Greece, that Athens was all but finished. A way to get a better understanding about the two different cultures is illustrative of the city's leaders. The ultimate strategies and projections before the conflict characterized the cultures. Greece was split into two great alliances, at that time a war. Sparta dominated the Peloponnesian League, an alliance in the Peloponnese region. The allies that included all the states in the Peloponnese and outside the cities of Megarimus, Boetians and other cities. "The great strength of the Spartan alliance lay in its splendid, heavily armed infantry made up of Peloponnesians and Boetian
Reviewing King Archidamus' projections, from both his perspective and with the benefit of hindsight, reveal his sagacity. Archidamus was keenly aware of Sparta's main weakness - its navy - and took affirmative steps before engaging in battle to address the problem. He delayed engagement for this purpose, but also to allow cooler heads to prevail after the heated debates demanding a swift attack on Athens. Archidamus knew that "a victorious army wins its victories before seeking battle; an army destined to defeat fights in the hope of winning." Spartan dominance started rising with its direct position as the top Continental Army of the region. Manual labor and farming of the city was done by slaves, which let the male citizens serve in the Army. Spartan boys were all trained to serve in the military as professional soldiers, with individual and family needs subordinated to the needs of the state. Pericles' projections and strategies were sound in principle, but as Kagan explained, they were too difficult in practice because they flew against human nature. Further, Pericles did not seem to share King Archidamus awareness of the war's inevitable duration. The negative impact on Athenian morale must have been profound as their homes and farms were destroyed, their friends and family fell to the plague, and the war dragged on for yet another generation.
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Approximate Word count = 1780
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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