431 BC 404 BC PELOPONNESIAN WAR Causes Many

431 BC- 404 BC PELOPONNESIAN WAR

Causes Many Greek cities resented Athens’ domination of the Delian League Some revolted against Athens Sparta and Athens were long time rivals Sparta led the Peloponnesian League to oppose the Delian League Overconfident Both sides believed they held advantages over the other (Athens at sea; Sparta on land) and would win, so they moved towards war.

Peloponnesian War 431 – 404 BCE Sparta gets jealous of Athens Sparta and Athens fight over control of Greece

Power struggle Athens treated Delian League city states as if they were their empire, used League funds for projects in the city of Athens (statues, etc. ) Sparta feared Athens was getting too powerful.

Economics Athens stopped Corinth (Sparta’s ally) from taking over another citystate. laid siege to a colony of Corinth. Athens slapped Megara with trade sanctions (they could not trade with any allies of Athens – a death blow to their economy. Corinth and Megara convinced Sparta to go to war with Athens.

Athens strategy Naval power Surround Sparta by sea Prevent food and supplies from reaching Peloponnesian League

Sparta Strategy Sparta had a strong army Surround Athens and prevent it from raising food around the city Did not have a navy until the end of the War

Stalemate For much of the war, neither side could gain the upper hand over the other With a few short period of peace in between, it lasted 30 years

Plague Athens was severely weakened when a plague broke out It killed almost 1/3 of the population including Pericles, Athens’ able leader

Syracuse Expedition The Athenians made a huge mistake in 416 BC, they invaded Sicily to conquer Sparta’s ally, Syracuse. They hoped to destroy the Spartan’s food supply They were surrounded annihilated

The war ends Syracuse weakened the Athenians, but they held out for over 10 more years The Spartans finally conquered Athens in 404 Athens had to give up its navy and empire Athens had to follow Spartan foreign policy

Thucydides Father of scientific history because of standards for evidence collecting History of the Peloponnesian War

Aftermath Athens was the strongest, although Sparta was victorious Much of Greece lie in ruin Greece was severely weakened economically and militarily Greek culture slowed

Peloponnesian War Results (404 BCE) The war had resulted in the deaths of many of their citizens. Orchards, vineyards, and fields had been destroyed. The treasuries of the city-states had been destroyed, and faith in democracy had been reduced. As a result of the Peloponnesian War, Greece became weaker, and poorer. 338 BCE - Led by Philip II the Macedonians in conquered Greece