End of Peloponnesian War PDF

Preview

Summary

Download End of Peloponnesian War PDF

Description

Monday 23rd October 2017

End of Peloponnesian War  





Ends in 404BC Sparta seizes Hellespont - Athenian grain storage - Sparta forces and wins a naval battle against Athens and effectively defeats them at Aegospotami Athens surrenders in 404BC - How do we punish Athens? Especially inconsideration with their treatment of the Delian League - Thebes and Corinth demands for destruction of Athens - Sparta imposes that Athens has just peace after the war, by imposing an oiligraph (a rule by 30 Tyrants) Sparta emerges as leading hegemon

Aftermath    

Temporary revival of democracy in Athens in early 300BCs Hellenic Age and the end of democracy in the region Conquest by Macedonia through Alexander the Great in 338BC Alexander the Great adopts Greek culture as he expands the empire even to the asian region, including Afghanistan

What lessons can we draw from The History of Peloponnesian War? 

 



Why did Athens fall? - Imperial overreach and the loses in maintaining this breaks up the empire - As Athens becomes more aggressive, the less control and sustainability they have over the empire - Melian Dialogue models how the Persians demanded of the Greeks in the prior war, this was clearly a sign that there was a change in nature from the great democratic power to a tyrant imperialist over the Empire Can a society that maximise its interests reconcile with justice? - Melian Dialogue: The powerful do what they may and the weak must listen and do as what they are told to do How did the expansion of the Athenian Empire shape Athenian Democracy? - Athens was the exemplary democracy at their peak and then democracy crumbles at their loss in their war - Thucydides advices to not expand the empire during the war, and then when Athens loses one little war the whole empire and democratic state crumbles - Greed has driven the Athenian motive in the war, e.g. Sicilian expedition was for treasure - Imperialism when overstretched doesn’t last Does leadership matter? - Thucydides states that if Pericles had not died, Athens would not have lost the war - Pericles was a good leader, he was wise, good speaker and wanted to win the war for idealism (protecting the symbol of democracy) – therefore leadership seems to matter

Foundation of International Political Thought

Monday 23rd October 2017 -

Nicias was well intended, but was not wise and not reasoned like Pericles Alcibiades was a skilled politician but was greedy and back stabbing, this unravelled Athens as an empire due to his coups

Two possible readings of Thucydides 1. Richard Ned Lebow – “Thucydides the Constructivist” (American Political Science Review, September 2001, pg. 547-560) - Argues Thucydides as a constructivist 2. Steven Forde, “international Realism and the Science of Politics: Thucydides, Machiavelli, and Neorealism” (International Studies Quarterly, 1995, pg. 141-160) - Argues Thucydides a Realist

Good Essays that get Firsts…    

Analyse and measure up arguments Have an opinion Don’t just explain Display all the narratives, then weight them up, which one is more convincing

Richard Lebow: Thucydides the Constructivist  



    

Thucydides writes on multiple levels At a superficial level Thucydides examines the destructive consequences of policies framed outside the language of justice - The key passage is Revolt of C, there is a breakdown of what words meant and dangerous policies unfolded and that led Athens to do Constructivism: things like the Sicilian expedition Is the claim that significant aspects - Once Athens deviated from the language of justice, it of international relations are unravelled as a power historically and socially At a deeper level Thucydides explores the relationship constructed, rather than inevitable between NOMOS and PHUSIS consequences of human nature or - Nomos = norms other essential characteristics of - Phusis = nature (physics) world politics. - Nomos constructs identities and channels and restrains the behaviours of individuals and societies - E.g. Athens says ‘you are not equal to us’, the breakdown of the conventions to see each other as equals also caused a breakdown of the Athenian Empire Speech and reason in turn makes nomos possible because all conventions depend on shared meanings The feedback loop between logoi (words) and ergoi (deeds) created both greek civilisation and the civil strife (stasis) associated with the Peloponnesian War Domestic and international order depends upon shared meanings or values Shared values and meanings affects how actors make decisions Therefore, Thucydides should be understood as a constructivist

Stephen Forde: Thucydides and Neorealism  

Neorealism maintain that they are a scientific discipline, whereas their classic predecessors (including Thucydides are not) Forde looks at 2 dimensions of science 1) Over reliance on structure and operationalisability by Neo Realists

Foundation of International Political Thought

Monday 23rd October 2017





2) Ignores the Role of Ethics Thucydides does have strong structural elements to his work, but does not believe structure determines all - Thucydides allows perspective in his book, to make a judgement on what are right or wrong decisions Classical realism define itself in opposition to idealism for its neglect of the role of the power in morality - Neorealism ignores the moral dimension altogether

Foundation of International Political Thought...