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THUCYDIDES.   Term Paper ID:29756 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Ancient Greek historian's political theory.... More...

3 Pages / 675 Words 1 sources, 16 Citations, MLA Format $12.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Ancient Greek historian's political theory. "On Justice, Power, and Human Nature." Contrast governance and political style in his analysis of Athens with Sparta. Athens as cultured and learned. Democracy as its political forum. Sparta as austere, militaristic and practical. Athens reliance on naval power and Sparta on land power. Paper Introduction: To contrast Athens with Sparta is to contrast theories of governance with political style. That is the major lesson to be drawn from Thucydides. The reputation of Athens is that it was cultured and learned, willing to expose itself to other peoples, compared to Sparta's austerity and militarist form of social organization. The Speech of the Corinthians of the Debate at Sparta implicitly valorizes Athens when observing that Lacedaemonian insularity "makes you rather ignorant in foreign affairs" (Thucydides 17). Athens made a project of inserting itself into foreign affairs. Its naval mobility empowered it to extend its conquests to a variety of distant places to engage in wealth-building trade and to absorb cultural lessons from abroad--and collect tribute. Tribute-paying city-states around the Aegean would be prote Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. When people try to excite us with praise into doing something dangerous, we do not let the pleasure of it overcome our better judgment. His loss to the plague showedthat Athens had been less a real democracy than "a government by its firstman" (Thucydides 57). Power struggles between men lacking Pericles'personality and leadership developed a life of its own, in the processignoring the realities being faced by "the commonwealth" (Thucydides 57).With them, the rhetoric of Athenian glory was not backed up by practicalplanning. Undoubtedly, Sparta can be said to differ markedly from Athens insocial structure and political and social priorities. Two additional aspects of Athenian society are noteworthy. Pericles also refers to the "greatness of our city" in terms ofaesthetic sensibility, demonstrated by Athenian architecture. The reputation of Athens is that it was cultured and learned, willing toexpose itself to other peoples, compared to Sparta's austerity andmilitarist form of social organization. . The Spartans themselvesemphasize other attributes and customs as positive values. The Speech of the Corinthians ofthe Debate at Sparta implicitly valorizes Athens when observing thatLacedaemonian insularity "makes you rather ignorant in foreign affairs"(Thucydides 17). Athens' democracy gave voice todissent when the plague and military defeat arrived there. Our discipline makes us good soldiers and gives us good judgment (Thucydides 27). On Justice, Power, and Human Nature. And in thatparticular feature of Spartan experience is contained the shift in fortunesover the course of the Peloponnesian War. . . In his speech to Athens at the time of the plague,Pericles distinguishes between the oligarchic form of government adopted bySparta to Athens' democracy, "managed not for a few people, but for themajority" (Thucydides 4 ). So-called resident aliens (Thucydides 34) were routinelyrecruited into the Athenian naval forces, providing linkages betweensubjugated peoples and the mother country. One is itsuse of democracy as its political form, i.e., participation in governmentby free citizens. Democracy figures into this, for the participatorycitizenry has a stake in policy outcomes. Athenian artand creature comforts are also "ways to give our minds recreation fromlabor" (Thucydides 41), as if all work and no play make Sparta a dullculture. But that is an Athenian characterization. Limiting the people'sexposure to too much education, which would run the risk of politicalconflict (Thucydides 27-8), is an important aspect of this. . Works CitedThucydides. Athens made a project of inserting itself into foreignaffairs. Athens perceived naval power asthe ultimate in enrichment and prestige, superior to Sparta's land power.As Pericles explains in the opening phase of the Peloponnesian War: If they build only an observation post . Sparta's KingArchidamus valorizes Spartan "clear-headed self-control" (Thucydides 27): It is this that gives us our unique ability to restrain our arrogant in success, and to yield less than other people to misfortune. they may damage some of our land by raiding it, and they may take in runaway slaves; but this would not be enough to keep us from sailing to their land and building forts there or retaliating with our navy, which is our great strength. Paul Woodruff. Tribute-paying city-states around the Aegean would be protected fromother invaders and would be fully engaged in the trade network of theDelian League. In sum, Sparta is concerned not with rhetoric but rather with resultsin the field. Adherence tothe given law is preferred to "useless intelligence that condemns theenemy's forces in a fine speech but fails to deliver as good an attack inthe field" (28). Dour and practical Sparta, then,was bound to prevail. Trans. Archidamus makes a virtue ofSpartan austerity vis-à-vis Athenian openness. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1993. That is what Archidamus means when he says that "we alwaysmake our preparations in action" and not in a speech (28). Its naval mobility empowered it to extend its conquests to avariety of distant places to engage in wealth-building trade and to absorbcultural lessons from abroad--and collect tribute. Implicitin the give and take of public debate is an openness to diverse opinion;that point is made in the Speech of the Corinthians of the debate at Sparta(19). As Pericles puts it: "We are theones who develop policy, or at least decide what is to be done; for webelieve that what spoils action is not speeches, but going into actionwithout first being instructed through speeches" (Thucydides 42). . That explains (1) the power grab and atrocity at Melos, withAthenians justifying "trampl[ing] down" the Melians to "add not only to ourempire but to our security" because they were "masters of the sea"(Thucydides 1 4); and (2) the disastrous expedition to Syracuse, despitethe warnings of Nicias (Thucydides 121ff). Our naval experience has actually done us more good on land than their infantry experience has done for their navy (Thucydides 34). One may begin withits attachment to the land and very limited naval reach, compared toAthens. The second noteworthy aspect of Atheniansociety, not unrelated to the first, is its relatively outward-lookingintellectual climate. The whole matterwas further complicated when Pericles died. That is the major lesson to be drawn from Thucydides. That Athens is liable to arrogance in victory and despair in defeat,that Athens is vulnerable to flattery and excitement, that Athens thereforelacks judgment and discipline over the long haul, are to be inferred fromArchidamus's description of Spartan character. To contrast Athens with Sparta is to contrast theories of governancewith political style. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.