Peloponnesian War Summary

Achilles - I told you how to fight but I never told you why to fight.
Patroclus - I fight for you.
Achilles - Yes, but who will you fight for when I'm gone? Soldiers fight for kings they've never even met. They fight when they're told to fight, they die when they're told to die.
Patroclus - Soldiers obey.

Those who are reading this I am sure might have guessed which movie I am talking about. Troy is the movie, where Achilles is played by the ever charming and handsome Brad Pitt. This dialog is a proof enough of the turbulent times ancient Greece has gone through, with the Spartans and Athenians vying for power and the Trojans adding to the anarchy. Peloponnesian war (431 to 404 B.C.) between Sparta's allies and the empire of Athens was one amongst many instances of Athens and Sparta's long drawn rivalry.

Causes of the Peloponnesian War
Historical records have revealed that Thucydides chalked out the reasons for this war. Apparently, Thucydides mentioned in his writings that the alarming rate at which Athens was growing, created a stir, especially in Lacedaemon. This made the war inevitable. However, the causes of this war have always been a bone of contention amongst historians. Some of the other causes are said to be as follows -

1. Spartans were not happy that they no longer had the military glory.
2. Athens putting pressure on its allies and neutral cities.
3. Sparta was jealous of the increasing expanse and power of Athens.
4. Finally, there were conflicting and competing political ideologies.

These are some of the basic reasons for the outbreak of this war. Actually, the name of the war comes from the fact that the alliance treaties Sparta had with individual kingdoms till Peloponnese and the Spartan Alliance itself was called the Peloponnesian League. Nevertheless, apart from the reasons above, there were quite a few intertwining incidents which lead to the war. After the causes, though, let us take a look at how the war progressed with some of the major turning points in the war.

Timeline of the Peloponnesian War
Several historians divide the war in 3 stages. Here is more on them and the timeline in each of the stages.

First Stage - 431 to 421
The first stage which dated from 431 to 421 BC, is also termed as Archidamian war. Athens was ruled by Pericles and Nicias was going great guns till 424. Minor breakthroughs were made by Athens on the Peloponnese by the water way and they caused the destruction of areas in Attica. Similarly, the expedition of Boeotia proved to be a disaster. Soon enough, Athens feared her allies would no longer support her. Consequently, a treaty was signed called Peace of Nicias which saved some honor for the Athenians. They were also able to create normalcy prior to their forays except for a few problem areas. Thus, in 431 the war commences and in 430, there was a plague in Athens. 429 witnesses the death of Pericles and in 427 Athenians made an expedition to Sicily. This was a very tumultuous time for both Athens as well as Sparta.

Second Stage - 421 to 413
To tell you the highlight of this stage, again here the Athenians did an expedition to Sicily in Syracuse. Other political happenings in this stage were that Corinth formed a coalition with Athens. Alcibiades is exiled as he created problems and betrayed Athens to join Sparta. Both camps vied for support from Argos, but it ultimately became an ally to Athens.

Third Stage - 413 to 404
Attica was attacked by Sparta as advised by Alcibiades. On the other hand, Athens dug a hole for itself by sending ships and men to Sicily. The naval battle which was going the Athenians way initially, took a turn in favor of the Corinthians and the Syracusans. Sparta then procured gold from Cyrus for building a fleet, eventually destroyed the Athenian fleet, led by Lysander. That was in the battle of Aegosotami. Finally, 404 BC dawned to see the downfall of the Athenian Empire and the war ends here. That was how the war went on and Athens ultimately lost it to Sparta, a dream long dreamt by the Spartans.

Historians have long debated Peloponnesian war facts and its repercussions and the background. Still, I have made an attempt to present an unambiguous summary of the Peloponnesian war. All said and done, one thing is sure, as Bertrand Russel said, War does not determine who is right - only who is left.