Themistocles played an essential role in the Persian wars and was a key factor to Greek victory in these wars. He made this impact through his pre-war efforts, his leadership skills and his intelligence in tactics which is shown during the battle of Salamis. During his pre-war years, Themistocles came to the realisation that if Athens was to suceed in it's war efforts against Persia then it would need to greatly focus on the improval of it's naval force. Unsurprisingly, however, most Athenians disagreed with this idea as it would result in a weakened land military force and less money to the citizens of Athens. In order to persuade his fellow Athenians to support his idea of a strengthened naval force, Themistocles resorted to trickery.
The Athenian ownership of the Delos treasury, suppression of revolts as well as the challis decree marks the transformation of the delian league into the Athenian empire. The role of the delian league was to protect those Greek states which had already revolted from Persia and to liberate those still under Persian rule. The league was very active in overthrowing Persian power and consolidating the role of Athens as hegemon’s in the Greek world. It was clear that the alliance was unequal from the beginning because, the leadership was Athenian, they had the largest fleet and they were also superior in resources. This was a result from their successes in the Persian wars, in particular the battle of Salamis.
The Spartans were really close to them on the other hand, this led to them having an open shot to Athens with little in their way. The Athenians had ships, but that didn’t stop Lysander from get into Athens and ending the war. xxii. The conflict after the war was mainly caused by the amount of power that the Spartans had. It caused Persia to help Athens for freedom and it also caused the city-states to revolt from Spartan control.
), the political and economic differences between them would make one think they were on opposite corners of the globe. Politically Athens formed into the first ever recorded example Democracy, whereas Sparta, though it contained democratic components, was primarily ruled as a Monarchial/Oligarchical society. Economically, Athens position on the coast made it a prime spot for trade with the other City-states of Greece, as well as with foreign lands with whom trade would be impossible otherwise. Athenian Marketplaces, called the Agora, were integral to everyday life for the citizens of Athens. If they weren't merchant class workers who peddled their wares at the Agora, any goods they required would be bought there.
Following the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, Greece underwent great development in an attempt to become a stronger power and eliminate Persian threat. Themistocles was a key factor in contributing to these developments, as he was leader of the Athenians after the Battle of Marathon. According to Herodotus, ‘Themistocles believed that Athens future lay on the sea as a trading power.’ Therefore, the contributions of Themistocles were largely relevant to the growth of Athens as a sea power, which proved to be the key reason for a Greek victory in the Persian Wars to come. Prior to the Battle of Marathon (in 493 BC and later), Themistocles ‘suggested fortifying the Piraeus peninsula, which had 3 harbours.’ The Athenians could establish a citadel overlooking the 3 harbours, which previously, were open and indefensible. This motion however was interrupted by the battle and was completed after Persian defeat at Plataea in 479 BC.
Athens was more worried about the comfort and culture during the time of the military battles. The oligarchy in Sparta put a war like attitude as it's first priority and it met the needs of Ancient Greece. Athens did not have the best form of government because it did not give the citizens of Greece more freedom. The Athenian democracy can not be called a true democracy because there was several flaws in the governement and how it worked. Only the
Although the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were similar, they also had differences. The interactions with other empires were different. Imperial Rome interacted with more empires because it was located near bodies of water which facilitated trade with North Africa, Middle East, and Europe. Another difference between is their government structure. The Roman Republic was republic and only wealthy men could be emperors while Han China was a dynasty were the son of the previous king would take the throne.
Sparta put a military attitude in its society and made it the first priority to have a powerful army. The Athenians type of government, might have given the society More freedom, but in my opinion I think this was not the best form of government at this time. The democratic system in Athens cannot really be called a true democracy since it had several flaws in the government and the way it worked. For the way the voting worked
Through this convenient location, Athens was further given another way to assert it’s effectiveness in controlling the other city-states or allies, as having such a readily available Athenian port was crucial in the trading between other civilizations, including that of Egypt, Syria and Palestine (as well as the rest of the Persian Empire) through naval transportations. Without such, the Greek world would have failed to have its diverse trading routes, which brought a wider variety of resources to trade and keep as lavish decorations and greater wealth into their economy, and it’s through this that Athens shows their
Build a navy – they voted. Athens had public officials – but they were chosen by lottery – another way to | |participate. To ensure that these officials did not become too powerful their power was limited by short terms and limits | |on the ability to hold the same role more than once. But, there were lots of these roles so many could participate. | |[Of course, the Athenian democracy also had problems.