[17] News of the Sicilian disaster encouraged many of the cities and islands in the Athenian Empire to revolt. Athens continued the struggle against Persia and established the League of Delos. The island of Sicily is the 'football' at the toe of the Italian penninsula. This was a blow to the expedition because he was arguably the competent Athenians general. The oligarchy was divided and it was succeeded by a more moderate form of oligarchy government the 5000. Despite this, the Athenians could continue to besiege the city.[10]. The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition, The Peloponnesian War: Athens, Sparta, And The Struggle For Greece, Money and the Corrosion of Power in Thucydides: The Sicilian Expedition and its Aftermath, https://dailyhistory.org/index.php?title=What_was_the_impact_of_the_defeat_of_the_Sicilian_Expedition_on_Athens%3F&oldid=19764. The oligarchy was known as the 400 and it ended the radical democracy in the city. The disaster in Sicily was to exacerbate political divisions in Athens and led to great political instability. In the west of the island, the Carthaginians had established several large settlements. The destruction of Panzer Armee Afrika left the United Kingdom Eighth Army and the American Seventh Army without a mission. Many of the traditional elite and aristocracy of Athens were never thrilled democracy. The Athenians to the amazement of all Greece survived. Perhaps one of the most important events in this was Athens Sicilian Expedition (413-415 BCE). [3] He was a consummate politician and utterly amoral. Alcibiades urged caution and wanted the Athenians to find more allies before it attacked the great city of Syracuse. The Peloponnesian War was a terrible defeat for Athens. The Athenian defeat in Sicily not only weakened the city militarily but also politically. He was a competent but over-cautious general. This expedition resulted in a disastrous Athenian defeat that is seen as a turning point in the Peloponnesian war. The Athenian army and navy never returned to their previous numbers and in future conflicts they were almost always outnumbered. [11] The Athenian army raised the siege after the Syracuse Navy defeated the Athenian fleet. In order to defend the City, the Athenian government began to tax the wealthy to such an extent that some people were left penniless. The material on this site can not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Multiply. The combination of a military disaster and internal dissent ultimately led to the defeat of the City and the loss of its Empire. The city-state and Sparta had led the Greek world against the Persians. Despite the odds, the city survived. The Athenian general Nicias was given command of the huge Athenian armada. How long will the footprints on the moon last? The Athenians eventually turned the League of Delos into an Empire which was possible because Athens possessed the largest navy and most powerful navy in the region. Prior to the expedition, Athens held its own against Sparta and maintained its Empire. In 413 BC, the Spartans suspected that the Athenians had overextended themselves declared war on Athens and ended the Peace of Nicias. Its political system energized the Athenians and made them very formidable. [7] Despite this, the Athenians secured much of the east of the island of Sicily after defeating a Syracuse army. What is the contribution of candido bartolome to gymnastics? Is evaporated milk the same thing as condensed milk? This meant that the Athenians could no longer send reinforcements to Sicily. This led to total war between Athens and Sparta. Athens did secure some victories but by 404 BCE the city was left at the mercy of its enemies after the Spartans, with the help of the Persians, shattered the Athenian navy at the Battle of Aegospotami. -----Sicily July 10 - August 17, 1943 . [20] They attributed the defeat to democracy and they believed that the city could only be saved if Athens changed its form of government. From Wikipedia: Sicily There was an allied invasion of Sicily during World War II starting on July 10, 1943. The economy was crippled by the Sicilian expedition and the Athenians were forced raise special taxes to defend itself. They were never as militarily powerful again. Sparta and its allies besieged Athens and it was forced to surrender. The entire army was annihilated by the Syracuse and their allies. They wanted a return to the previous oligarchy which would return control of the city to their hands. What details make Lochinvar an attractive and romantic figure? Another reason why this invasion was significant was that it got the Allies closer to Germany. [14] As significant as the loss of the ships were the deaths or capture of the many trained oarsmen. Athens followed the strategy of Pericles. When did organ music become associated with baseball? He was popular in the city because of his charisma and his success at the Olympics. [1] Thucydides argued that Athenian democracy encouraged the Sicilian Expedition. Athens continued the struggle against Persia and established the League of Delos. He acted swiftly and established an anti-Athenians coalition among many Sicilian city-states and allied Syracuse with Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. Initially, this was restricted to the eastern and southern parts of the island. In the aftermath of the Second Persian Invasion (480-479 BCE), Athens emerged as a great power in Greece. When Sparta and Athens agreed to the Peace of Nicias in 421, the Athenians were at peace for first time in years. Instead of keeping Sparta at bay, the City struggled to defend itself foreign powers. However, Thucydides, a former Athenian general believed that Athenian democracy was flawed and lead to aggressive and dangerous policies. This was all to change with the Sicilian Expedition. Nicias ordered a retreat and in a subsequent battle at the River Anapus, the retreating Athenians were almost annihilated. The Athenians navy was reliant on these men to power their triremes and again it took years to replace these men. [22] The Athenians all the while continued their war and after a victory at the Battle of Cyzicus took place in 410 BC, when an Athenian fleet destroyed a Spartan navy. The Athenians war with Sparta continued for another nine years but they were badly weakened by the Sicilian expedition. The heyday of Athens came to an end. This caused great resentment among the old aristocracy. [2] Alcibiades had been one of the main promoters of the invasion of Sicily. This large and rich island was divided among several Greek city-states in the center and east of the island. [4]. He had the Athenian army build a string of fortification around the city and used the large Athenian armada to blockade the city by sea. The expedition left the city militarily weakened it also weakened it financially. How long does it take to cook a 23 pound turkey in an oven? Slowing Decrease in the South of Sicily. [19] The Athenian Empire was not doomed by the defeat outside Syracuse but it made it more likely. How did Athens become the leading Greek city-state? The Navy was permanently damaged by the loss of its fleet outside of Syracuse. Athens was as powerful as ever and it seemed that if it followed Pericles strategy that it was invincible. It was important because then the allies had another hold on [15] Per one historian ‘The total number of prisoners taken would be difficult to state exactly, but it could not have been less than 7,000.’ [16]. The expedition that had sought to conquer the island of Sicily was a complete disaster. Now, there was a scandal in Athens and Alcibiades was implicated in it. Hermocrates, whom Thucydides likened to Pericles, then prepared his city for a siege and persuaded several Athenian allies to remain neutral. It did this by once again returning to the cautious strategy of Pericles. However, this was all to change after the Sicilian Expedition. They did continue the war, even though many of them were secretly pro-Spartan. In the aftermath of the Persian defeat, Sparta for internal reasons ended its participation in the war against the Persians. The Periclean strategy urged Athens to avoid a land war with Sparta and to concentrate on its navy and to avoid other entanglements. [23] The aftermath of the Sicilian Expedition was politically divided Athens that struggled to unite to defeat its enemies.