Unit 3 The Delian League diss ques PDF

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The Delian League was founded in 478 BCE following the Persian War to be a military alliance against any enemies that might threaten Ionian Greeks. It was led most notably by Athens, who protected all members unable to defend themselves with its massive and powerful navy. Politically speaking, though Power was distributed equally, with each member receiving one vote, the unofficial leader of the League was most certainly Athens. The rest of the group comprised mainly Greek city-states in Asia Minor and the Aegean islands that needed waterbased protection from the Persians (Hooker). The purpose of the Delian League was to continue fighting the Persian Empire after the Greek victory in the Battle of Plataea at the end of the Second Persian invasion of Greece. The League's got its name based on its official meeting place in the island of Delos, where congresses were held in the temple and where the treasury stood until, in a symbolic gesture, Pericles moved it to Athens in 454 BC. According to Wikipedia (2018), shortly after its inception, Athens began to use the League's navy for its purposes, which led to its naming by historians as the Athenian Empire. As time went by, however, Athens started treating other city-states in the League less as allies and more as subjects. This behaviour frequently led to conflict between Athens and the less powerful members of the association. By 431 BC, Athens' became very autocratic in their leadership of the Delian League, partially contributing to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War; the League was dissolved upon the war's conclusion in 404 BC under the direction of Lysander, the Spartan commander. Their leadership style was evident, especially in 471 BCE, when the island of Naxos tried to withdraw from the League because they did not appreciate Athens' leadership style. Athens viewed this act of rebellion and went to war with Naxos and defeated them. The story of the League I have just presented is not one of success. According to Nenartovich (2015), success in political leadership can be measured the Using Quality of Life QOL) Index rather than Gross Domestic Product, or 'happiness index', or something else. It allows figuring out whether the political system benefits everyone and the whole society, not the rich or the poor only. Following the military defeat of Naxos, allies were expected to contribute only silver and not ships. The League treasury was soon transferred from the island of Delos to the temple of Athena in Athens for safekeeping. It is clear from these steps being taken that Athens was bullying its way through the control of the other city-states in the League. Using the QOL Index, I would identify the League's efforts as a failure, even if it had made some achievements. The contributions of the Delian League funded the 'golden age of Athens under Pericles' leadership. The magnificent Parthenon marble temple to Athena was constructed with resources paid for by the silver contributions. Members made it of the Delian League. The yearly tribute payments that each former ally made was to what had now become a kind of Athenian protection racket system. When people are oppressed by a system that they are supporting, resistance and revolt will eventually be expressed. According to Brand (n.d.), "a coalition of other Greek states, led by Sparta was openly hostile to Athens. Eventually, a rival league led by Sparta would go to war against Athens. The Peloponnesian wars would eventually humble Athens and bleed all of Greece dry". It is clear, therefore, that the Delian League did not only affect and destroy the League itself, but also the country of Greece and its resourcefulness. Consequently, Greece, "which had uncharacteristically

united to fight off the Persian superpower, would now commit a form of collective suicide as it tore itself apart" (Brand, n.d.). The conclusion I have arrived at from the failure of the Delian League is that Power can generate a highly corruptive influence. According to Lord Acton (n.d.), "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This effect can be seen in the Athenian leadership, which hijacked the Delian League's dictatorship. From this example and many others, many invaluable lessons can be learned, chief of which is that dictatorship and oppression will eventually end in downfall and destruction and is an approach that is not worthy of emulation. Honesty and democracy are still the more favourable policies. References: Brand, P. (n.d.). The Delian League: From Alliance to Empire. Retrieved from https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1279891/mod_book/chapter/287649/Athens %20%20Sparta%20dictatorship%20%20democracy.pdf?time=1582319035433 Dalberg-Acton, J. (n.d.). Lord Acton Quote Archive. Power and Authority. Retrieved from https://acton.org/research/lord-acton-quote-archive Nenartovich, K. (2015). How can the success of a political system be measured? Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/How-can-the-success-of-a-political-system-be-measured Wikipedia. (2018). Delian League. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delian_League Hooker, Richard. "Ancient Greece: The Delian League." Washington State University. 1999. 1 Dec. 2007 https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/greekpast/4773.html...