Peloponnesian War Strengths And Weaknesses

"I doubt seriously whether a man can think with full wisdom and deep convictions regarding certain of the basic international issues today who has not at least reviewed in his mind the period of the Peloponnesian War and the Fall of Athens." George C. Marshall. The Peloponnesian War that took place from 431 B.C. to 404 B.C., as George C. Marshall said, is one of the most important wars in the last 2,500 years of history. The war changed the expansion of democracy for the rest of history and forced the remaining Greek states to adapt a form of Oligarchy government instead of Democracy. At the end of the Peloponnesian War, Sparta's army defeated the Athenian navy due to it using its overwhelming strengths and overcoming its weaknesses. Sparta
First, I will look at one of the strengths of Sparta, which is its powerful military, the only professional standing army in Greece during this time. The Spartan's oligarchy system was based upon an agrarian economy that allowed the Spartans to raise their own food. This allowed them to build a military state, with the social structure of a fighting class that recruited for the military at the age of seven and learned how to fight for 13 years before entering the military. The hoplite army was a dedicated professional army that allowed the Spartans to train for war on a continuous basis. The Spartan army was known specifically throughout the entire region for their red cloaks and deliberate advance at a walk to the music of flutes, gained a reputation of military ferocity and maintained military supremacy on land. One of Sparta's centers of gravity was their army that was based upon hoplites and helots, which was a form of slavery; the citizens could not pursue any profession other than that of arms. In addition, the helots supplied all the labor needed to
The Spartans were the regional hegemon and a member of the Peloponnesian League. Sparta was the leader of this league and it differed from the Delian League that grew out of the Athenian power and charged its members a tribute to provide sources to Athens's wealth to provide some income to help build their economy and provide resources to keep their navy prepared. In return, the Athenians provided security and protection to the members of the Delian League. The Peloponnesian League was a more loyal league for helping other allies, as there were no payments made to a government just an alliance of trust. This proved to be one of the strengths that Sparta could build upon during a time of war. This alliance is one of things that drew Sparta into the war as Corinth's war with Corcyra originally dragged Sparta into the war and the Athenians backed Corcyra. This was a key as both city-states had the second and third largest navies after Athens. The Athenians could not count so heavily on their allies as the exploited countries would tend to revolt and join the other side rather quickly or try to stay neutral during the war. There were many examples of revolts in the Athenian alliances and Megara's defection from the Peloponnesian League demonstrated the fragile foundation of alliances of the city-states. The Spartan King Archidamus knew that Sparta would need all of their