In the first part of the Peloponnesian Wat, Athens was hit with the plague. This plague not only killed the leader, causing Athens to request peace in 421 B.C.E., but also killed a vast amount of the civilians living there. When the war picked back up again, it had moved Westward and to Sicily. When the Sicilians begged for the help of the Athens, the Athens sent their military/fleet to help. By sending their military force (fleet), they lost their force over such a distance. When they lost their fleet, they were crushed and were never able to regain their military or economic power. In the first part of the war, before the plague destroyed many of the lives of the civilians the leader of Athens felt they could hold their own behind their walls
