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Athens and Sparta and allies in 435: Prelude to the Peloponnesian War. Democracy put to the ultimate test: The Peloponnesian War, 432/1-421/0. Leadership in Athens: Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 2.65.
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Athens and Sparta and allies in 435:Prelude to the Peloponnesian War
Democracy put to the ultimate test: The Peloponnesian War, 432/1-421/0
Leadership in Athens: Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 2.65 • What were Pericles’ arguments to sustain the Athenian citizenry during the war against Sparta and her allies? • What enabled Pericles to make these arguments – that is, what were the sources of his leadership in Athens? • Was Thucydides accurate in suggesting that demokratia had become “rule by the first citizen”? • What transpired after Pericles’ death in 429?
“Who ran democratic Athens?” by P.J. Rhodes (in Polis and Politics [Copenhagen, 2000], 465-477) • What formal powers, if any, did Pericles or other Athenian leaders possess? • What further means of exercising those powers did they have? • To what extent did anyone fashion and implement policies in Athens? • Were there groups of like-minded citizens who directed Athenian policy?
Democracy in action: Demosthenes 21, Against Meidias, 4th c. BCE • What are some of the rhetorical devices Demosthenes employs in presenting his case to an Athenian jury? • In your view, are these rhetorical devices effective? • How do they compare with the rhetoric you heard during the discussions about charter reform in Saratoga Springs? • Do speakers employ peίyv - peitho (“persuasion”) as an effective tool?