The Peloponnesian War
War between the two Greek alliances broke out in 431 BCE. Known as the Peloponnesian War, the conflict lasted on and off for 27 years.
Sparta's Siege of Athens: The Peloponnesian War began when an army led by Sparta marched into Athenian territory. Pericles, the leader of Athens, instructed farmers living in the Athenian countryside to move inside the walled city for safety.
The Spartans settled down around Athens for a long siege. The goal of a siege is to force the enemy to surrender by cutting off its food and other supplies. Athenians had prepared for such an event, however. They had built two long walls to line the four-mile road that connected Athens to its port city. While these long walls stood, Athenians could receive supplies by sea.
Supplied with food by ship, the Athenians held out for more than a year. The, a plague or contagious disease, broke out in the crowded city. Thousands or people died in Athens.
However, the war dragged on. Sparta, with its powerful army, and Athens, with its strong navy, found it difficult to defeat each other. In 421 BCE, both sides agreed to a truce, or an agreement to stop fighting, while the discussed peace terms.
Athens Surrenders: Within a few years, however, the truce was broken. Athens launched an invasion of Sicily. With help from Sparta, the Greeks of Sicily destroyed the Athenian forces. Athens lost a large part of its navy at Syracuse.
Athens was now desperately weakened. The Persians saw a chance to deal Athens a fatal blow. They gave money to Sparta so it could build its own powerful navy. With this new fleet, Sparta defeated the Athenian navy atthe battle of Aegospotami in 404 BCE. After that, the Spartans attacked Athens itself.
Once again, the Athenians resisted. But with its new navy, Sparta was able to keep food from reaching Athens by Sea. The following year, Athens was forced to surrender.
The peace terms were harsh. Sparta even made Athenians give up their democratic government. Although democracy was soon restored, Athens had lost its power.
The Peloponnesian War hurt all the city-states, bringing Athens to its knees and ending the golden age of Greece. Throughout the 300s, the Greeks persisted in fighting amongst themselves. The constant fighting among the city-states opened the door to the military conquest of Greece by Macedonia.
Using the R.A.D method (restate the question, answer the question, give details) answer the following question with a minimum of three sentences.
What were the causes and effects of the Peloponnesian War? Make It Look Like A 10 year old did it