The Downfall of Sparta

The history of Sparta was the great exception to the political evolution of the city-states. Despite the fact that Spartans in the end were all Greek, Sparta failed to ever move in the direction of democratic rule. Instead, its government evolved into something more closely resembling a modern day dictatorship. If the Spartans had followed the other Greek city-states in their political practices they might have been able to avoid their own downfall and could have even become stronger.

Spartans were originally Dorians who had come to Laconia as an invading army. Although by the end of the ninth century they had conquered all of Laconia but still were not satisfied. West of the Taygetus Mountains was the fertile plain of Messenia. The Spartans were determined to conquer, and they were successful in their goal to dominate the Messenians. The Spartans took the land of the Messenians, Killed and expelled their leaders, and turned the general population into slaves called helots. Almost all of the features of Spartan life resulted from the Messenian wars. Unfortunately when they enslaved their enemies they unknowingly and foolishly enslaved themselves. “They lived through the remaining centuries of their history in deadly fear of insurrections. This fear explains their conservatism, their stubborn resistance to change, lest any innovation result in a fatal weakening of the system.”

Shortly after the Messenian wars Sparta went into a defensive foreign policy in fear that the helots would rise up and revolt if given the chance. Spartan government devoted itself to keeping what Sparta had already gained and achieved.

In fact they choose to isolate themselves completely from the rest of Greece in fear that dangerous ideas would come i...

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...nt evolved into something more closely resembling a modern day dictatorship. If the Spartans had followed the other Greek city-states in their political practices they might have been able to avoid their own downfall and could have even become stronger.

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S. G. F. Brandon. Milestones of History, Ancient Empires, (New York 1973,) 84.

William Barclay, Letters to Sparta, (London 1975). 9:14-18

Clement M. Eylera. Evidences of Plato's philosophy of education in the George Peabody demonstration school, tandfonline.com, 2009. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01619564609536025?journalCode=hpje20

S. G. F. Brandon. Milestones of History, Ancient Empires, (New York 1973,) 84.

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