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Thucydides, The Historic of the Peloponnesian War translated by Rex Warner Penguin Books.The Greek world of Thucydides was a world torn apart by the Peloponnesian War. The War, which initially put Sparta and her allies against Athens and her allies, ended with an uneasy truce in. However, it was resumed and tended to be much harsher in its final stages as the once-glorious city-state of Athens was finally defeated. While Thucydides was recording the events of the war, he also was concerned with the implications and the consequences of the war. Of the many conflicts mentioned in Thucydides history, one of the major events in the Peloponnesian War was the revolt of Mytilene. According to Thucydides, the Mytilenians were forced into the war by the Athenians. Athens had sent a fleet of forty ships in order to force the Mytilenians to surrender their ships and to destroy their fortifications. Mytilene was by this time an ally of Sparta; but she was forced to come to terms with the Athenians because the Peloponnesian (Spartan) ships had not arrived in time, and the food supply had run out. Thucydides discusses at length the debate between the figures of Cleon and Diodotus over the fate of the Mytilenians. Cleon is the proponent of the death penalty for the Mytilenians while Diodotus adopts the lenient view. Cleons argument is not based on humanitarian concerns but on expedience"Let me sum the whole thing up. I say that, if you follow my advice, you will be doing the right thing as far as Mytilene is concerned and at the same time will be acting in your own interests; if you decide differently, you will not win them over, but you will be passing judgment on yourselves. For if they were justified in revolting, you must be wrong in holding power. If, however, whatever the rights and wrongs of it may be, you propose to hold power all the same, then your interest demands that these too, rightly or wrongly, must be punished" (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, .40)"
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The Peloponnesian War, as seen by Thucydides, was a period in which the city-state of Athens evolved from a position of a naval super-power in the Aegean to a city that was desperately attempting to hold onto her empire. The need for victory can be seen in Thucydides account of Athens handling of the Mytilenian Revolt and later in his account of the conquest of the island of Melos. When discussing these events, Thucydides reveals the Athenian and the victims attitudes toward the lives of Athens victims through various debates. As for Cleons stand, the main concern is one of political necessity as opposed to the concern for life. Political necessity, in this case, is the preservation of Athenian power in the Aegean. In addition, since Thucydides makes Athenian leaders and Athens herself figures in various debates, his history, at times, is a drama as well as a narrative. What Cleon proposes is a harsh and brutal action, but he is certain that to do anything else will make Athens look like a tyrant. He would rather kill many people than let the world think that Athens is wrong in her actions. For Cleon, letting those people live means admitting that Athens is wrong because as a conquered people they will see Athens as their enemy. To make them loyal subjects would take a long time and Cleon does not want to do that because he is concerned about the Spartans. To fight a successful war with the Spartans would mean doing everything as efficiently as possible and that means putting down the Revolt as quickly as possible.Thucydides' account of Cleos speech in Book III is not concerned with the motivations and emotions behind the harsh words. The grimness and the cold, calculating attitude toward human life, as seen in Cleons speech reflects a military reality as seen by a man who has to think about the whole war and not just a single battle. In addition, Cleon is thinking about Athens and the politics that hold the Delian League together. He does not want Athens' enemies or allies to see her as weak or desperate. However, what he wants to do about the revolt would have the opposite effect and would show the enemies and allies of Athens that she is desperate enough to take such harsh measures. Considering the moral problem, the harshness would mean that other allies would think that the Athenians would deal with them in the same way. It may not be as important to consider the moral problem because the greater problem is how Athens is seen by her allies and enemies. To deal with the revolt in the way Cleon is proposing would signal to the enemy that the Athenians are desperate and are worried about losing face and wasting valuable resources that they would need to fight Sparta. Dealing with the revolt in a more calm and less harsh manner would have a better choice. Athens would be seen as a calm and strong force by both her allies and her enemies. Athenian allies would see that Athens deals fairly and gracefully with defeated people and would not be as wary. The right thing to do would be to deal with the revolt without resorting to desperate actions.Cleon represents a collective viewpoint in that his position is at first shared by many Athenians who ". . . in their angry mood, decided to put to death not only those now in their hands but also the entire adult male population of Mytilene . . . (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, .6). Cleon is also a politician and he has to reflect the majority opinion of Athenians. It is a popular view and not very constructive. He is critically considering the situation, but he is seeing it only as a political decision.Cleon paints a grim picture, there was still concern for mankind and compassion for the victims. Athens did not condemn the entire population of Mytilene to death, although over one thousand males were put to death. Diodotus was a principal actor in bringing this about. In Thucydides work, Diodotus not only opposes the harsh punishment of the Mytilenians, but he also condemns Cleons rationalization for mass slaughter. Diodotus warns the Athenian leaders against accepting arguments based upon expediency and politics without morals". . . He is a fool, if he imagines that it is possible to deal with the uncertainties of the future by any other medium, and he is personally interested if his aim is to persuade you into some disgraceful action, and, knowing that he cannot make a good speech in a bad cause, he tries to frighten his opponents and his hearers by some good-sized piece of misrepresentation . . . . Though certainly it would be the best possible thing for the city if these gentlemen whom I have been describing lacked the power to express themselves . . . ." (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, .4)Fortunately, Athens spared the Mytilenians. Although life was placed above political expediency with regard to the Mytilenians, the war did not continue to be conducted in such a humane fashion. However, the problem was not just with Cleon's political desperation, but also in the conflict between the leaders. One wanted harsh expediency and the other wanted to be moral and humane. Their conflict prevented them from making a correct decision. It was not a matter of being cruel or humane, but a need to let Athens' enemies and allies see the Athenians as a strong and confident state. The war resumed and the strife became even more bitter as Athens desperately attempted to hang onto her position of a super-power in the Greek world. One of the more horrific events in this phase of the war was the Athenian subjugation of the island of Melos. In 416 B.C. Athens sailed against Melos with 8 ships. Melos was a Spartan colony that had remained neutral. The Melians, however, became open enemies of Athens when the Athenians began to ravage their island. The Athenian generals sent representatives to negotiate with the Melians. (Thucydides 5, 10 10). Thucydides examines both sides of the issue in the Melian Dialogue (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, 5.84-116). Although Thucydides does not clearly state his opinion, the description of magnificent Athens attacking little Melos destroys the Athenian argument. Thucydides account of the Athenian attitude in the Melian Dialogue reminds one of Cleons attitude toward the Mytilenians. It is a stand for political necessity. The Athenians attempt to rationalize their attitude toward Melos". . . We recommend that you should try to get what is possible for you to get, taking into consideration what we both really do think; since you know as well as we do that, when these matters are discussed by practical people, the standard of justice depends o the equality of power to compel and that in fact the strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept." (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, 5.8)Within this speech the moral issues of slaughter and enslavement are absent while the doctrine of the strong are always right are stressed. The Athenians, in making such a speech, can hardly be seen in a favorable position. They disregard moral considerations in their attack upon the small island of Melos. In doing so, the Athenians create a new enemy out of a neutral state. They show that Athens will treat all neutral states harshly and that made many neutral or unsure state takes sides. The Athenians also showed their allies that they are also vulnerable. Strong Athens will do whatever it wants and take what it wants. This was their downfall. Even her allies saw that with friends like the Athenians, they were in danger. The alliance saw Athens as a brutal and unjust state. Neutral states should be treated with kindness so that they remain neutral, Kindness coupled with resolve would have kept Athens' allies loyal.
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