2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

Athenian Politics:

During the war against the Persians, Sparta and Athens were united by a dual purpose against a

common enemy. During the Graeco-Persian Wars, Athens had grown exponentially from a small city

or “Polis” into a large empire. Athens completely transformed into a major trading and maritime

power and thus dominated the trade routes in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The rise of Athens

shifted the power dynamic in Greece at the time as prior to the events of the Graeco-Persian Wars,

Greece was dominated by Sparta.

As Athens rose in size and power, it inevitably clashed with Sparta on numerous occasions. These

clashes with Sparta, primarily caused by the Athenians’ raised tensions, providing the perfect

scenario for war to occur. The Megarian Decree was the first of many short-term foreign Athenian

political manoeuvres which angered the Spartans and caused them to view Athens as a threat which

was a significant the catalyst for the Peloponnesian War.

The Megarian Decree

In the first book written by Thucydides, Pericles himself said “men [who] till their own lands are

more ready to risk their lives in war than their property” and this weight he placed on the

importance of agricultural goods emphasises the aggression behind the passing of Megarian Decree

by Athens which proved to be extremely important in starting the Peloponnesian War (CXLI, 243-

245, 2014). Welsh historian and Associate Professor in the School of Classics at the University

College in Dublin, Philip de Souza, wrote that the purpose of the decree “[was] to put pressure on

the Megarians to abandon their alliance with Sparta and the Peloponnesians and resume their

alliance with Athens, which they had abandoned in 466” (2002,39). This shows the determination by

Athens to not only gain strength, but also to weaken Sparta and the Peloponnesians. Additionally,

the strategic benefits of the decree is further emphasised, as British historian and Professor of

Ancient History - Peter Brunt writes, forcing Megara to ally with Athens through economic isolation

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