School Book Reports about Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War in the History of the ... Custom Book Report Example Essay - Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War in the History of the... THUCYDIDES AND THE ***** WAR The disputes over Athenian sanctions against Megara, as well as over its ***** of ***** against ***** and alliance with Corcyra, reflected the larger issues of power motivating the hostilities between Athens and Sparta. The Spartans leaders feared that the ***** would use their superiority in long-distance offensive weaponry to destroy Spartan control over the Peloponnesian League. The majority in the Athenian assembly, for their part, ***** Spartan interference in their freedom of action. For example, Thucydides portrays Pericles as ***** several ***** concerning going to war with Sparta, pointing ***** that it would ***** be a trivial matter and that the ***** may resort to outright blackmail. *****, it is true that the Athenians had offered to ***** to arbitration of ***** Spartan complaints, a ***** officially mandated under ***** sworn ***** of the peace treaty of 445 B.C.E. Nevertheless, the Spartans refused arbitration because they could ***** risk ***** defection ***** Corinth from their alliance if ***** decision went against *****. In the eyes ***** the *****, this ***** to honor an obligation imposed by an oath amounted to pure sacrilege, and although the ***** continued to argue that the Athenians were ***** fault by refusing ***** concessions, they nevertheless felt uneasy ***** the possibility that ***** gods ***** punish them for refusing their sworn obligation. On the other hand, the Athenians exuded confidence that the gods would favor them in the ***** because ***** had respected the *****. | |
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