Athens vs Sparta

During the Era of the Peloponnesian War Athens made many strides to unite all of Greece. At time the choices made could have resulted in the unification of Greece. Would that have been the best for Greece? or was Sparta right in working to preserve the Greek City-State? I think there are many things to be said for both attempts. A united Greece could have remained United and preserved for years to come and ultimately changed the the history of Alexander and later Rome. A United Greek may have held and expanded in much the same matter Rome did and ultimately would have changed the complete course of European history. However key changes may not have taken place. Much progress was made by Alexander and Rome that as a modern society we still value and reference. Under Sparta's plan Greece continued to function as a world of City-States allowing each area to develop politics, warfare, and culture that ultimately led to contribute to the expansion of the modern world.

Athens learned many great lessons in the battles of the Peloponnesian Wars and while the faced great losses and hardship many things worked towards their benefit once they loss to Sparta. Athens once again became the center of the arts while Sparta continued to be the center of the military. Athens was able to experience peace and growth under the treaty with Sparta. Sparta never wanted to rule all of Greece they specialized in training soldiers and time after time in Greek history these soliders defended and helped the ideals of Greece and her City-States to maintain untouched.

I believe that while much good may have come out of Athens uniting all of Greece. A greater cultural legacy was created by Sparta protecting the legacy of the City-State. Even though this legacy only lasted an additional 250 years the lessons of warfare learned in these battles were passed on through history.