Explain the methods used by the Athenians to transform the Delian League into the Athenian Empire. ( 25 Markss ) There is certainty no grounds to propose that the Athenians had any long-run programs. in the old ages 479-470 BC. to alter the Delian League into an imperium. although from the get downing the possible to develop into an imperial power were at that place. Because from the beginning. Athinais had considerable power as she was the lasting hegemon.
The most of import facets affecting the transmutation of League into imperium was the altering relationships between Athens and her Alliess. Pericles? mperial policy. Athens selsh self involvement in deriving more power by utilizing the Leagu power and set uping Torahs onto her Alliess such as the Coinage Degree and the Chalcis Degree. These facets had portrayed Athens? gradual change of the Delian League into an imperial power. Originally the Delian League was formed as an confederation of free and equal provinces. At there were merely two types of members of the League ; those lending ships ( larger provinces ) and those lending money. But over clip when Iranian menace were no longer in sight. allied provinces started to go forth the League.
Athinais so force the Alliess back into the League as testimonial paying capable Alliess. This caused these provinces to pay testimonial with nil in return and lost their liberty. The event with Naxos. as they were the? rst to go forth. was a warning to other ally provinces of the effects of interrupting the curse of the confederation. Additionally. the usage of the League? s power to cut down the province Thasos to subject position because of a personal wrangle with Athens. indicated a alteration in the nature of the League.
And by 446-445 BC. there is no longer any uncertainty or pretension about Athens? imperial place. Although in the beginning. the Athenians did non take for an imperium. these events did nevertheless. depicts the get downing point of the transmutation of League into an imperial power. Furthermore. the encouragement of the deteriorating relationship between Athens and her Alliess can be seen between 450-446. when Athens launched a system of cleruchies. which were colonies of Athenian citizens on con? scated land of capable allied provinces.
The constitutions of cleruchies had cause much bitterness from other Grecian provinces towards Athens. Harmonizing to Plutarch. this system had relieve “the metropolis of a big figure of loafers and fomenters and raise the criterions of the poorest classes” . but at the same clip it implanted amongst the Alliess “a healthy fright of rebellion” . It besides allowed Athens to derive more Numberss of hoplites. as merely Athenian work forces with money can go a hoplite soldier. This had increased the military force in Athens and had strengthened Athens? old on her imperium. as they were located at strategic points in the Aegean.
The declining relationship between Athens? and her Alliess in the League is due to Athens? sel? sh ego involvement in developing her imperial power. and this had allow Athinais to bit by bit turn into an imperium. This sel? sh ego involvement can be seen after the Peace of Callias. At the purpose of the League was. harmonizing to Thucydides. ? to counterbalance themselves for their losingss by harrying the district of the King of Persia? but in 449 BC Persian lost the conflict against Cimon in Cyprus and signed a peace pact called Peace of Callias. Although this meant that the League? s purpose had been fullled. the Athenians argued that the Persians would strike once more if the Greeks appeared weak. This statement from Athens had an implicit in purpose. that was so the Greeks provinces would non go forth the League. or else Athens would lose its? power as hegemon and to go on to pay testimonial to the League. or in a more accurate sense. to Athens.
Athinais? gradual sense of change of League to empire is besides seen in Pericles? imperial policy. The terminal of the war with Persia and the 5 twelvemonth armistice with Sparta confronted Pericles with a major job. Thousands of soldiers and crewmans. antecedently off on summer runs and supported by League financess. were now unemployed. He used the Temples on the Acropolis that had been in ruins since the 2nd Iranian invasion as a manner to cover with all the unemployments. However this needed financess.
Pericles so called on a Panhellenic conference of all Greek provinces of the mainland and the Aegean to discourse the rebuilding of all temples destroyed by the Persians and the security of the Aegean sea as an implicit in purpose to acquire support for the rebuilding of Athens? temples and for the acknowledgment of the Athenian naval forces as defender of the Aegean. This alibi used by Pericles was to coerce the Alliess to go on their parts in order to foster his policies of transporting out a edifice plan. developing democracy. and keeping Athenian forces over a broad country.
Plutarch records how Pericles? enemies. denounced his actions as “barefooted tyranny” . Pericles replied that “the Athenians were non obliged to give an history of how the Alliess? money was spent” . and every bit long as Athens provided the services paid for. she could utilize the excess any manner she wished. Therefore. the testimonial from Alliess was non used for the Delian League. but to be used for Athens? involvement in constructing up their metropolis. By go throughing out Torahs. it had restricted Athens? Alliess of their freedom by compeling to Athens? regulation.
This is seen when Athens had passed out a Coinage Decree in 450-446 BC. implementing uniformity of mintage. weights and steps among the members of the League. This steps had made trade much easier to manage. it was a farther illustration of the Alliess? loss of freedom. Furthermore. the Chalcis Decree. issued after the Euboean metropoliss revolted. required the dwellers to take an curse “not to revolt against the Athenian demos” and “to be obedient to the Athenian demos” . which revealed no uncertainty that the original members of the League were now really much topics of an imperial power.
In decision. Athinais? gradual transmutation of the Delian League into the Athenian Empire can be seen in the impairment of her relationship with her Alliess due to her chesty actions on bene? ting her ain involvements. Pericles? imperial policy which further his policies of transporting out a edifice plan. developing democracy. and keeping Athenian forces over a broad country. but besides the establishing of Torahs onto her Alliess such as the Coinage Degree and the Chalcis Degree.
There is no grounds to state that the Athenians had any long-run program in turning the League into an Empire. but harmonizing to Thucydides. Athens had “three really powerful motivations security. honor and self-interest” . which were the grounds why the Athenians took control of an imperium. These events and actions by Athens had led the Delian League. which was one time an confederation of free and equal provinces. into a oppressive imperial power known as the Athenian Empire.
