The Peloponnesian War (Part Two)
Listen to "The Peloponnesian War (Part Two)"
The Peloponnesian War was fought by Athens and Sparta in the late 5th century BC. It was an epic war between two superpowers, and the similarities to the Cold War are numerous. Since most people know about the Cold War, since it was so recent, I will summarize this episode via comparisons between it and the Peloponnesian War.
This second episode covers the Amphipolis Campaign/Cuban Missile Crisis to the surrender of Athens.
The Participants:
For more information, read: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General
The Peloponnesian War was fought by Athens and Sparta in the late 5th century BC. It was an epic war between two superpowers, and the similarities to the Cold War are numerous. Since most people know about the Cold War, since it was so recent, I will summarize this episode via comparisons between it and the Peloponnesian War.
This second episode covers the Amphipolis Campaign/Cuban Missile Crisis to the surrender of Athens.
The Participants:
- Athens/United States: wealthy, democratic, powerful navy, supported by numerous smaller states (Delian League/NATO)
- Initially led by Pericles/FDR: rulers during the expansion of their respective nations' geopolitical status
- Sparta/USSR: communist, totalitarian, powerful army, supported by numerous smaller states (Peloponnesian League/Warsaw Pact)
- Initially led by Archidamus II/Stalin: rulers during the expansion of their respective nations' geopolitical status
- Thebes/China: Weaker third power allied with Sparta/USSR
- Persian Wars/WWII: Sparta/USSR and Athens/USA were originally allied in the fight against Persia/Axis
- Pentecontaetia/Berlin Blockade: Sparta/USSR and Athens/USA skirmish briefly over intermediate territory (Corinthian Isthmus/Germany)
- Archidamian War/Korean War: Sparta/USSR engages in a land war with Athens/USA over intermediate territory (Corinthian Isthmus/Germany). Results in a stalemate.
- Pylos Campaign/Suez Crisis: Athens/USA intervenes in territory close to Sparta/USSR in order to gain an economic and political advantage.
- Amphipolis Campaign/Cuban Missile Crisis: Sparta/USSR sneaks into the Athens/USA sphere of influence and creates an outpost.
- Aegean Sea Propaganda Campaigns/Third World War: Sparta/USSR provides support to revolutions in Athens/USA's sphere of influence.
- Sicilian Expedition/Vietnam War: Athens/USA attempts to contain Sparta/USSR's sphere of influence and fails miserably (loses lives and money).
- Sparta launches a successful, massive land invasion against Athens (Problem: USSR never fought USA over Europe). Decisive victory at the Battle of Mantinea
- Sparta destroys the entire Athenian Navy at the Battle of Aegospotami (Problem: USSR never defeated the American Navy decisively)
- Athens surrendered to Sparta (Problem: The US won the Cold War)
For more information, read: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General
posted by George Hageman at 8:17 PM
1 Comments:
Great podcast - I particularly enjoyed your discussion of Pericles.
I've been thinking about the moments when a culture's ideas about itself are changed as a consequence of something that happens during warfare... and about how the culture can take off on a different vector, afterward. It is something I would love to get your take on, perhaps through a podcast.
I'm an admirer of early Greek culture, for example, with its emphasis on the ability to analyze problems (in geometry, politics, etc.) and find solutions by cutting to the chase.
Greek use of voting, for example, is a brilliant invention, and I think it springs from the assumption that all armed men are created more-or-less equal. Thus you can predict the outcome of the fight by a show of hands. And that lets you skip the fighting, with its devastating consequences.
But as we know, the Persian Wars destroyed any grounds for that assumption. When the Athenians won at Marathon (even though outnumbered by 4 or 5 to 1) no Greek would ever again be able to suggest that all men are equal. I don't think it is a coincidence that Athenian government shifted from democracy over to periods of oligarchical rule, after that.
Are there other instances of this phenomenon in military history? What were the events that changed the Romans' mythology about themselves? Were there military events that altered the course of the British Empire, by changing who the British thought they were? And what about the United States? Are we a different country, on a different vector, as a result of Abu Grahib?
I know of no one else on the 'net who does what you do, and I'd love to hear you talk about moments in military history when an event changed a culture's world view ... and as a result, changed the rest of that country's history, from that moment onward.
respectfully,
Jack Darkhand
jackdarkhand@verizon.net
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