Greek Federalism Analysis

As the Greek people began to experiment with new political organization after the end of the Peloponnesian War, a type of federalism emerged that united groups of Greek settlements in several geographic areas including Messenia, Boeotia, and Thessaly. These federations, along with the remaining independent poleis and the rest of Greece, soon encountered a new issue resulting from the rise of Philip of Macedon to the north. While federalism was certainly a civilizational advancement for the Greeks, its existence, regardless of how far it had the potential to spread, could not have been enough to stop eminent Macedonian rule over the Greeks. To see what shaped Philip’s victory in Greece, it is necessary to look toward Thebes and the Boeotian federation. The origin of this lies in the Thebans’ assault and victory over Spartan hegemony. After Thebes had been liberated from Sparta in 379, they continue their fight until eventually it was successful in freeing Messenia from Spartan control, which had a hugely detrimental impact on the Spartan helot …show more content…
After the Thebans had released the helots and crippled Sparta, it no longer remained worthy of being a primary concern for Philip. Athens, on the other hand, still had some degree of influence that it had recovered following the Peloponnesian wars. Philip did not wish them to be his enemies, so he sent an embassy to ask “that his ancestral friendship (with the Athenians) continue (to exist).” Later the Athenians completely threw off ties with Philip by destroying the stele that recorded the treaty. This resulted from a variety of factors including “his goal to deprive the Athenians of their grain supply”, but the disagreement demonstrates that Philip is willing to accept the Athenians as opponents, whereas he seeks to maintain his relationship with