Classical Athens: The Spartan and Peloponnesian War

CRITICAL REVIEW OF SPARTAN VICTORY IN THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR
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The Peloponnesian War was a series of armed conflicts between Athens and Sparta, the two great Greek city-states. These conflicts continued for a long time as they began in 431 BC and ended in 404 BC, and involved multiple warring factions as both Athens and Sparta had leagues involving minor powers of the region. Most of the historical accounts of the war came from Thucydides, the renowned Athenian commander who was later ostracized; in his history book "The History of the Peloponnesian War," he gave a detailed account of the events of the war the victories of the warring sides. However, despite the presence of clear records of the events of this Great War, scholars are not unanimous about the Spartan's victory as the outcome of the war based on various political and military realities of that time. Therefore, the following paragraphs deal with a close and critical examination of the events of the war to provide sufficient circumstantial evidence that despite several defeats, the Spartans did eventually win this war in 404 BC.["The Peloponnesian Wars." Penfield Central School District. Accessed March 30, 2022. /webpages/jgiotto/onlinetextbook.cfm?subpage=1649849.]
One of the strongest factors that validated the fact that the Spartans won this war was the difference between the armies and form of government of the two city-states. According to one source, Sparta and its ally governments were mostly based on oligarchy, as indicated by the discord that Chians, one of the Spartans' allies, had over the imposition of oligarchy over them by Pedaritus. On the other hand, the Athenian government was based on strong democratic values and had a strong and evolving political and social culture. This fundamental difference between the forms of government of these rival city-states played a significant role in determining the course of the war events since, being an oligarchic government, Sparta had been able to take a more adventurous and bold decision than Athens. For instance, their unprovoked Athenian invasion of Attica in 430 BC manifests their aggressive attitude, which is a prerequisite for victory against strong odds.[Thucydides, T. H. U. C. Y. D. I. D. E. S. The history of the Peloponnesian war. BoD–Books on Demand, 2019.] [Anaya. "The Peloponnesian War Summary of Battles and Betrayals - Part One." Classical Wisdom Weekly. Last modified October 22, 2018. https://classicalwisdom.com/politics/wars/the-peloponnesian-war-summary-part-one/.] [Lazenby, John Francis. The Peloponnesian War. Routledge, 2004.]
Another exciting difference between the military power of the two powers was that the Athenians were mostly involved in intellectual activities, and their military might was chiefly their strong navy. On the other hand, Spartans were inborn warriors, and their women were trained for fighting right from birth; therefore, they had a highly authoritative and ruthless army. This distinctive difference turned out to be one of the crucial factors that determined the course of the war in favor of Sparta, and despite having a strong navy, the Athenians faced crushing defeats on multiple fronts. Most particular...