GOVT-060 Chapter Notes - Chapter A&JReading: Siege Of Melos
6 Dec 2016
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Thucydides, the melian dialogue in history of the peloponnesian war. The athenians, in a frank and matter-of-fact manner, offer the melians an ultimatum: surrender and pay tribute to athens, or be destroyed. The melians argue that they are a neutral city and not an enemy, so athens has no need to crush them. The athenians counter that, if they accept the melians" neutrality and independence, they would look weak: people would think they spared melos because they were not strong enough to conquer it. The melians argue that an invasion will alarm the other neutral greek states, who will become hostile to athens for fear of being invaded themselves. The athenians counter that the greek states on the mainland are unlikely to act this way. It is the more volatile island states and the subjects they have already conquered that are more likely to take up arms against athens.
