The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War

by Donald Kagan

New History of the Peloponnesian War (1)

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The first volume of Donald Kagan's acclaimed four-volume history of the Peloponnesian War offers a new evaluation of the origins and causes of the conflict, based on evidence produced by modern scholarship and on a careful reconsideration of the ancient texts. He focuses his study on the question: Was the war inevitable, or could it have been avoided?Kagan takes issue with Thucydides' view that the war was inevitable, that the rise of the Athenian Empire in a world with an existing rival show more power made a clash between the two a certainty. Asserting instead that the origin of the war "cannot, without serious distortion, be treated in isolation from the internal history of the states involved," Kagan traces the connections between domestic politics, constitutional organization, and foreign affairs. He further examines the evidence to see what decisions were made that led to war, at each point asking whether a different decision would have been possible. show less

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" Kagan traces the connections between domestic politics (1) Ancient Greece (19) Ancient Greek History (5) ancient history (22) Ancient Military (2) and foreign affairs. He further examines the evidence to see what decisions were made that led to war (1) at each point asking whether a different decision would have been possible. (1) Athenian Empire (2) based on evidence produced by modern scholarship and on a careful reconsideration of the ancient texts. He focuses his study on the question: Was the war inevitable (1) be treated in isolation from the internal history of the states involved (1) cornell-university-press (1) deaccession book sale 2023 (1) Drinks Cupboard (1) Greece (18) Greek History (11) history (53) Kagan - Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War [1969] (1) or could it have been avoided?Kagan takes issue with Thucydides' view that the war was inevitable (1) Peloponnesian League c550-366 BCE (1) Peloponnesian War (24) peloponnesian-war (2) Pericles strategos c495-429 BCE (1) Persian War (2) political-science/17-432-causes-of-war-theory-and-method-fall-2003 (course) (1) rory-gilmore-reading-challenge (3) that the rise of the Athenian Empire in a world with an existing rival power made a clash between the two a certainty. Asserting instead that the origin of the war "cannot (1) The first volume of Donald Kagan's acclaimed four-volume history of the Peloponnesian War offers a new evaluation of the origins and causes of the conflict (1) Themistocles (Themistoklēs) c524-459 BCE [archon eponymos of Athens 493-492 BCE; ostracized 471 BCE; gov Magnesia on Maeander 465-459 BCE] (1) Thucydides (6) without serious distortion (1)
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Author Information

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Donald Kagan
58+ Works 6,250 Members
Donald Kagan, Sterling Professor of Classics and History at Yale University

Series

New History of the Peloponnesian War
Donald Kagan
4 works (1)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War
Original publication date
1969
Important events
Peloponnesian War; Samian War

Classifications

Genres
History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
DDC/MDS
938.05 — History & geography History of ancient world (to ca. 499) Greece to 323 Greece to 323 Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC)
LCC
DF229.2 .K3 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Greece History of Greece History By period Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B.C.
BISAC
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Statistics

Members
349
Popularity
90,087
Rating
(4.18)
Languages
English, French
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
6
ASINs
4