Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War 3: The Archidamian War

Could a new generation of Athenian and Spartan leaders succeed, where Pericles and King Archidamus failed? This is part 3/5 in a re-examination of the strategies used in the 2nd Peloponnesian War. This video focuses on Athens' changed attitude under Cleon, his contribution to Athens' ascendancy, and how Sparta managed to eke out a white peace despite all that.
Video 1 on CaspianReport's channel: • Geopolitics of the Pel...
SCRIPT: strategosstuff.blogspot.com/2...
All errors are my own - especially the unsystematic pronunciation!
▬ CHAPTERS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - Introduction
0:27 - [I] A New Kind of War
6:33 - [II] Athens: Cleon's Strategic Offensive
11:39 - [III] Athens: The Culminating Point
15:44 - [IV] Sparta: Gambling on Brasidas
20:21 - [V] Conclusion
▬ SOURCES ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War [Bks 3, 4, 5]
www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/t...
Kagan D. The Archidamian War. Cornell University Press 1990.
Hanson V. A War Like No Other. Random House 2006.
Henderson B. The Great War Between Athens and Sparta. Hauraki 2015.
Lazenby J. The Peloponnesian War: A Military Study. Routledge 2007.
Rusch S. Sparta at War. Frontline, 2011.
Sears M. Understanding Greek Warfare. Routledge 2019.
▬ ATTRIBUTIONS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Google Maps for the maps and the placement of the towns. Locations corroborated with Wikipedia (i.e. Corinth today is not where ancient Corinth was). Roads follow the route of modern highways, but they seem to match ancient routes well enough.
Wikipedia for approximate borders.
Made using Powerpoint 2013, Audacity, WavePad and VideoPad.

[@DensetsuVII]

Wow when you said the next videos were coming out soon, you weren't kidding around! Clearly Pericles' wait and see strategies aren't bearing fruit for the channel.

[@joeyb.7484]

Your channel is a gem of KZbin

[@user-zu6hm6vw2q]

Very nice videos. It's always great to see some accurate series about a war so forgotten yet so historically relevant as the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides would be proud :)

[@cynic2201]

Please make a patreon, I really wanna give you money. You are my favorite KZbinr by FAR and I love every single video you make.

[@antisocialmunky]

Again a great video. I hope you cover all of Alcerbides' shenanigans in full detail since he's so influential in the last phases of this war.

[@tobago3679]

thanks, man, as always great video and engaging content!

[@ShahjahanMasood]

Wooooooo!!!! I love these videos

[@DirkusTurkess]

Great stuff as always.

[@mirceadonciu4983]

Just want to say I really love your videos. Could you maybe do the geopolitics of France between the 30 years war and the revolution?

[@jordanhicken7812]

These are so good!

[@micahistory]

Really interesting video. I learned so much

[@micahistory]

i love how detailed your videos are and how much analysis you put into them. You are so smart

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

Damn I am so hyped for part 4

[@giveussomevodka]

Reminds me a bit about the 20th century wars in Europe. I read somewhere that WWI was a war between the Germans and the Slavs for control of Eastern Europe, and that since in the end there was no obvious leader, WWII had to be fought to determine the outcome. In that same way, the many wars between Sparta and Athens are merged to be the same war, since until an obvious dominant force emerges, there can be no peace, only truce.

[@Showergelski]

This viewpoint is common knowledge in eastern European populations (specifically the Polish and Russians), and yet is ignored in western Europe and America, who's people prefer the idea that the Second World War was an ideological war between fascism and democracy. However, this ethnic conflict didn't start a few years before the First World War, but in the tenth century.

[@StrategyStuff]

Well... for WWI specifically, mainly in the sense that Balkans were the only 'unclaimed' spheres of influence left available to Austria (AUS-PRU war 1866) and Russia (RUS-JAP war 1905). If Russia had won RUS-JAP the 'Asiatic' lobby might well have shifted policy towards expansion in C Asia/China - to the grave concern of UK. BUT yes, geographers like Mackinder did see Eastern Europe as a key to Eurasian domination so geopolitically, you could argue there was some long-term underlying conflict there.

[@alexanderchristopher6237]

Mateusz Surdziel can’t really blame the West for it. They’re pretty much dragged into those two world wars thanks to defensive alliances.

[@carlosdumbratzen6332]

I find the comparison Herfried Münkler makes (a relatively famous historian and political scientist from Germany) between the 30 Years War and the Peloponesian War much more fitting than between the Pelop. War and the two World Wars: The line between War and Peace is much less clear in the 30 Years War and the conflict between Athens and Sparta. Treaties are disregarded, everywhere are rebellions spawning and the civilians are equally seen as targets as the soldiers (The incredible losses of the 30YW are results of the rampant marauding and looting of the mercenaries and the resulting famines and epidemics. Similarily the raiding of Sparta in Attika and Athens on the coasts of the Peloponnes, targeting the farms or the people to persuade them to defect) Here is an Interview with him, where he talks a bit about the similarities between the 30YW and the Pelop. War (if you understand german ofc): kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJ3Vgn-Anpqferc

[@25easytiger37]

More like Germans and Slavs vs Germans and Slavs

[@astrolonim2032]

This series is amazing. Shame I didn’t see it on caspianreport, so i could have found the channel sooner

[@parkersenecal5547]

I never clicked on a recommendation so fast!

[@aqui1ifer]

5:27 Aetolians being a thorn in the side of Hellenic powers, classic.

[@rojetsmith2759]

Please do the Spartan vs Argos war

[@chris7372]

Last time I was this early the Median empire was still around.

[@Nick-tn3ms]

Nice vid

[@abcdef2069]

damn this video needs Ph.D to follow, i lost in the mists of all names and arrows

[@angquangtruong360]

Love your content, do you plan for a patreon site?

[@tyercuuhbitu2219]

P a c k a g e d e a l

[@michaelrider]

Athens will win. I'm certain.

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

Idk sparta has some good tactics

[@jarogniewtheconqueror2804]

michael, if money wins wars then they should win

[@lucius1976]

Kleon was killed at the beach of Amphepolis. Everyone knows that :-)

[@QuizmasterLaw]

11 minutes after posting i am surely the fifth

[@alecjones4135]

Please make a Patreon account I want to send you money