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The Peloponnesian War

The Drift Towards War

Athens' rise to brilliance was resented and mistrusted by other city-states, and especially by Sparta and Corinth. The former feared that Athens would begin expanded on land and threaten her system of alliances in the Peloponnesian Peninsula, while Corinth feared Athens as an economic rival that had a strong military behind it. Both cities had their network of colonies and allies who shared their sentiments.

In the 440s Athens did indeed begin to expand on land, which so alarmed Sparta that a nasty war broke out. This ended with both sides exhausted and produced a treaty that was supposed to assure peace between them for the next 30 years. By the terms of the treaty, Athens gave up her entire land empire, in return for which Sparta recognized Athenian supremacy at sea. The two "super-powers" had divided the Hellenic world between them.

Sparta still feared Athens, however, as did Corinth, for Athenian sea power was stronger than ever. Corinth was a distant and envious second. Corinth took the lead in painting Athens as a threat to Greek liberty, a picture readily believed in Sparta and elsewhere. For her part, Athens insisted that she was the natural leader of the Greeks, her worthiness having been proved in both war and peace.