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February 20, 2008

What I'm reading:

The Peloponnesian War

by Donald Kagan

 

The Great Peloponnesian War was one of the Western World’s first major wars between two superpowers: Sparta and Athens. The Peloponnesian War took place from 431 to 404 B.C; but it has many lessons for our times. Athens was the birthplace democracy, and arguably the freest place in the world at the time. Nevertheless, Athens’ leaders blundered into a devastating war that had long-term negative consequences for this ancient Greek polis. The Peloponnesian War teaches us that democracy alone cannot inoculate a nation against overreach and fatal miscalculations on the foreign policy front.

 

In the years before Athens’s devastating 27-year war with Sparta, there were two major threats to the Athenian way of life: Spartan militarism and Persian expansionism. Athens took these threats seriously. Contrary to what you may have heard, the Athenians didn’t sit around in togas all day writing plays and discussing the fine points of philosophy. In its day, the Athenian navy was the most formidable force in the Aegean; and its existence gave pause to Athens’ rivals.  

Athens was also an imperial democracy. The so-called Delian League was a union of city-states allied with Athens against the Persians, and later, against Sparta. The Spartans had an imperial network of their own: the Peloponnesian League. Turmoil within this network of alliances became the trigger for war between Sparta and Athens. 

If you don’t already have a firm grasp of ancient history, then this book might not be the best place to begin your studies of the period. Kagan’s book contains a lot of detail---too much at times even for those of us who are history buffs. Furthermore, The Peloponnesian War reads like the academic tome that it is: some of the chapters make for slow going.  

I felt compelled to throw that last disclaimer in; but don’t let it dissuade you from giving this book a try. The Peloponnesian War is enjoyable once you dig into it.