Athens As An Imperial Power Essay

Athens's role as an imperial power created a democracy to be admired. The Delian league started as a way to keep the alliance of city states safe from Persia and take vengeance. A way the league kept them all protected was the use of the navy they created with the money from the treasury. The islands and city-states across sent money to the League's treasury on the island of Delos. The league also had the right to one vote each, but the Athenian votes were worth more. Themistocles was the executive charge until he is banished in 472 B.C. The line of succession moves on and Cimon is now elected and very popular for years but is then ousted in 461 B.C. and that is where the friendship between Athens and Sparta comes to an end. Power is now moved …show more content…
Athenians have it good they have rights and are listened to in a true democracy, while the other Greek city states contribute money but are treated second rate they do not have all the same exact rights as an Athenian does. The Athenians want all Greek city states on their side and offer protection, but with a price of course. Thucydides speaks of how the Melians surrendered and put to death the grown men and kept women and children as slaves, then sending five hundred of their own Athenian representatives to live on the island(pg.124). The whole time the Melians were just trying to stay neutral, probably knowing they wouldn’t win if challenged. The relevance today in the United States is almost everything that has to do with politics we have adapted from ancient Greece. The terms we use in America to label almost any part of the government such as words like democracy, bureaucracy and senate that literally translates to group of old men. We vote as one, just as they did in ancient Greece all though not only once a year. We also have different parties that we vote for as did they. Greece was in many very advanced in ways of the arts, politics and knowledge all things we appreciate