The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides - 9 - Conclusion
Conclusion
Quotes
"In recording the events of the war my principle has been not to rely on casual information or my own suppositions, but to apply the greatest possible rigour in pursuing every detail both of what I saw myself and of what I heard from others. It was laborious research, as eyewitnesses on each occasion would give different accounts of the same event, depending on their individual loyalties or memories."
"It may be that the lack of a romantic element in my history will make it less of a pleasure to the ear: but I shall be content if it is judged useful by those who will want to have a clear understanding of what happened — and, such is the human condition, will happen again at some time or in the same or a similar pattern. It was composed as a permanent legacy, not a showpiece for a single hearing."
Notes and Key Takeaways
The Peloponnesian War is an epic story of civil war, a horrific plague, great speeches, spirited debates, the consequences of hubris, and the revealing of what human nature is when the veneers of civilization are stripped away — including both its ennobling heroism and its demonic savagery.
There is a feeling of inevitability to the war, since Sparta couldn't stand to let Athens continue to grow the way they were. It almost all came down to the saying, "This town ain't big enough for the both of us." And it certainly raises questions about the possibility for global peace.
While there were attempts at peace, the war between Sparta and Athens never really got settled until Phillip II of Macedonia started his conquest of Greece. Even after Sparta finally defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides unfortunately didn't complete the whole history, so the book doesn't include this part), they eventually grew unpopular and Athens was able to rally and fight back again. Even though they had united before in the war against the Persians, which wasn't that long before this, Sparta and Athens could not find a way to make peace.
Thucydides meant for his history to last forever, and it has. His influence has extended throughout history up until the present time — 2500 years later — where it continues to be read and studied by historians, political scientists, philosophers, and the military.
Thucydides distinguishes himself from Herodotus very intentionally, though he doesn't mention him by name. His mention of the "romantic" element in other histories, and the way he isn't simply reporting what other people said but has done the work to find out the truth, seem to be clear references to Herodotus, who did report stories that were told to him even when he himself said he did not believe they were true.
Thucydides is clear about the value he sets on objectivity, but there are some questions about that. Of course, no one can be completely objective, certain biases are inevitable by virtue of our limited perspectives, and the details we choose to include or not include. The prominence given to Athens throughout the story, for example, is notable.
A few have questioned his inclusion of the many speeches in his account, too. He himself admits that he wasn't able to include "the exact words used," but has instead made "each speaker say broadly what I supposed would have been needed on any given occasion, while keeping as closely as I could to the overall intent of what was actually said." This is likely not a practice that historians today would accept, but that said, the speeches in this book are incredible and they are a huge part of what makes this book so enjoyable to read.
For Thucydides, history should be useful. It is useful, he says, because it reveals patterns within the human condition and gives us an understanding of events that will happen again, because of these patterns.
But this raises the question, how exactly is history meant to be useful if it is only showing us our human condition which cannot change? Can we "learn lessons" from history if the core ingredient is something we can't do anything about? Or does having an understanding of these patterns give us some ability to use them or navigate them to our advantage?
It is a shame that Thucydides wasn't able to finish the book, but even so, there is no question about the enormous impact he has had on our understanding of history, both in what it is and how it is written.