2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

Introduction:

The Peloponnesian War is an extremely important topic for historians in the modern world to

understand, analyse and discuss, as this monumental event led to the weakening of the Athenian

empire. As a result, it is necessary that historians understand what sparked this war and how it

impacted Greece as these events may repeat in a similar fashion with modern empires. Thus,

historians must be able to identify the causes of such events and be able to prevent them from

happening in order to prevent another dominant empire from completely collapsing and disrupting

the balance of power in the same manner as Athens.

Investigation:

After the defeat of the Persians in the Graeco-Persian Wars, Ancient Greece was soon enveloped in a

large scale, monumental conflict, known as the Peloponnesian War. The two parties concerned were

the Athenian Delian League and the Spartan Peloponnesian League. This war raged during the years

431 to 404 BCE with the eventual success of the Peloponnesian League over the Delian League. The

outbreak of this conflict is traditionally seen by historians to be directly caused by an aggressive

Athenian foreign policy which alarmed and angered the Spartans. The belief that an aggressive

Athenian foreign policy caused the war is proven to be true when the motives and the effect of the

Megarian Decree are analysed. Moreover, this belief is further validated by the involvement of

Athens in the dispute between Corinth and Corcyra, as well as the quarrel over Potidaea between

Corinth and Athens.

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