Advantages And Disadvantages Of Spartan Society

As an Athenian ambassador, I believe that prior to the first year of this Peloponnesian War, our Delian League is the more radical, beneficial, and overall superior to the Spartans, as shown in many different aspects. Firstly, we treat our subjects rather amiably compared to the harsh Spartans. We also do not promote theft, horseplay or criminal violence among our society, unlike those foolish Spartans, who think that the key to a strong civilization is toughened militia (starting with the children). The last benefit of our Delian League is that we promote democracy, the form of government where the people, everyday civilians, can decide the major decision, rather than having potentially corrupt leaders making their choices for them.

Our league consists of a society where we treat our subjects in a respectable manner, unlike the Spartans. Our community does not involve harassing or ridiculing our people. The Spartans, on the other hand, treat their subjects (particularly the Helots) very harshly. For example, in Spartan society, the Helots were irrationally ridiculed and severely …show more content…
In Spartan society, the select children who are physically fit for combat are then left (with their respective plot of land) to essentially fend for themselves, permitting them to steal and resort to violent actions. In Thucydides’ description of Spartan childhood, he says that the Spartans dispensed footwear for the children, and only gave them a single garment to wear for the year, and nothing more. To avoid starvation, the children were permitted to steal. This evidently shows that the Spartans indeed essentially promote thievery for a stronger military, but at the expense of an immoral community. Thucydides also notes that the most intelligent young men were sent out with nothing but their daggers, to cut the throats of any Helots in