Athens : Tyrants undeserving of an Empire
By the end of the Persian wars, Athens had secured its place as an imperial power. The Polis was on an upward climb, taking allies and knocking down opponents. As they grew into an empire, their grabs for power were not necessarily fair. Although Athens became a centre for culture, things at home and abroad in the various colonies were not flourishing as brightly. Athens controlled the treasury of the Delian League, making it easier for the city to accumulate wealth. This sharp increase in monetary gain, paired with their military might and tendency to make war (Pomeroy, 201), made Athens appear more like a dictatorship over their empire. If an ally did not provide the proper tribute or military support, they would coerce them, often with military force. Actions like this turned the alliance into a master-slave relationship instead of a friendly association.
The Delian League was formed on the Island of Delos to keep the Persians at bay. The Athenians decided how much each state could give each year, and the money was put into a treasury. The “donation” was less of a suggestion, than a forced contribution. In 471, Carystus remained apart from the league, and were made to join by the Athenians. Other states followed in their path. States who chose to stop paying tribute, like Axos in 469, were met with military force ensuring their presence remained in the league. When one of the city-states revolted, the Athenians would send a group of cleruchies to the polis to watch over these would-be rebels. Cleruchies were usually poor, and chosen by the government. They are given a parcel of land and allowed to maintain their citizenship (Pomeroy, 206). As the Athenians continued to conquer lands and put halts to rebellions against them, the lands would be divided up. The parcels were then redistributed by lottery to the Athenian Citizens (Thucydides, Book 3 ln 50).
Aside from their brute military force to keep their colonies and allies in check, the number of slaves increased and the treatment of women declined. When the Athenians debated the fate of the Mytileneans, after the execution of Salaethus, they decided to kill all the men over the age of puberty and sell off the women and children to slavery (Thucydides, book 3 ln 36). When the Megarian Decree was put into place to get back at the Peloponnesians, Megarian ships were prohibited from landing in any Athenian port. Athens refused the Corinthian request to rescind the decree, and in 432 war was called on Athens.
In the Mytilenian Debate, Cleon son of Cleaenetus warns the Athenians that their Empire is more of a tyranny (Thucydides, book 3 ln 37). The Athenians were attempting to hold control over the Spartans and Persians, while using their force to apply the same stronghold to their own allies. Their alliance with other city-states was forced and they were becoming guilty of hybris. They were not forming an alliance based on trust, but rather out of fear (Thucydides, book 3 ln 11). Their stubborn control led to the Peloponnesian Wars, amongst others. Instead of allowing their city to flourish intellectually and economically under the Persians, the Athenians took it upon themselves to become power hungry warmongers. They built an empire out of brute force and fear, relegating citizens of rebel states to slavery or death. This is not the way a deserved and successful empire should be built. Their treatment of other cities, paired with their misuse of alliance money for buildings like the Parthenon, erected to celebrate their triumphs, showed their arrogance and megalomanic characteristics. Their tyrannical rule proves them undeserving of an empire.
Sources:
Pomeroy, Sarah B. (1999) Ancient Greece a Political, Social, and Cultural History
Thucydides The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics)