A Study Of Pericles' Foreign Policy

This thesis makes systemic analyses and discussions of Pericles'foreign policy, including the context of its shaping, its construction of strategy, its practice, its transformation and end, its character and its historical position.The first chapter analyses the background of age when Pericles entered politics for the first time. First part discusses the changes of the foreign relation between Athens and Sparta after the Persian war. Sparta didn't want to see the rise of Athens, and even tried to embarrass her, which finally resulted to the formal breach of league relation between the both states. Secondly, I narrate the relations between Athens and Persia, her and the Delian League. After the foundation of the Delian League at 478/7 B.C., Athens became the formal leader of the Anti-Persian War. But as the Anti-Persian War achieved more and more victories and the Persian reconquest became less and less possible, Athens needed to seek new validity for the survival of the Delian League. The final part expounds the changes of Athenian diplomatic tradition after the Persian war. The Athenians firstly followed Themistocles' comprehensive expansionist policy, whose arm was to attack both Sparta and Persia, and then they followed Cimon's sea expansionist policy, whose arm was to keep amity with Sparta and attack Persia. But when the Persians withdrew far away and the Spartans became hostile, what is the reaction of the Athenians? This problem became the touch-stone which tested the qualities of the Athenian politicians.The second chapter elaborated Pericles'diplomatic behaviors at his early stage and the gradual mature of his diplomatic ideology. Firstly, Pericles followed Themistocles'policy and took active part in the anti-Spartan war after 462 B.C.; although Athens won the victories of the war, they also paid sorrow cast for them. And then, he identified himself with Cimon's policy and conducted the Athenian politics with Cimon together. But the Athenian expedition army met its debacle in Egypt at 454 B.C., and the Athenians made an expedition to Cyprus and withdrew midway, which showed Athens hadn't enough material and mental powers to break into the traditional boundary of Persian Empire and it was difficult to get substantive victory of anti-Persian war any longer. Facing the changing conditions, Pericles gradually made out his own diplomatic strategy, namely, giving up further force expedition, realizing peace with Sparta and Persia, so as to preserve the vested interests of Athens, especially the security and fixedness of the Delian League.The third chapter narrates the experiences and victories of Pericles'foreign policy. Since Persia was unwilling to continue the war, Athens smoothly signed the Peace of Callias with Persia and realized peace with the latter. Pericles proposed a Panhellenic convention to realize peace with Sparta alliance and to give the Delian League new validity, but Sparta alliance was dissatisfied with its status quo and refused the goodwill invitation of Pericles. To satisfy the demands of the Spartan alliance, Pericles decided to give up the Athenian land sphere of influence when the Aristocrat Revolution of Boeotia succeeded, bartering it for the fixedness of the Delian League, and finally signed the Thirty Years'Peace with Sparta, realizing the general peace of Greek world. Pericles turned the settlement of Thurii into a panhellenic activity at 444/3 B.C., so as to maintain the hard-won peace. After the realization of peace, Athens reformed and consolidated the Delian League, transforming it from group of states into entity of state.The fourth chapter mainly discusses Pericles'unyielding but cautious policies before the Peloponnesian war, the responsibility of the war, and the limited war strategy of Pericles. Corinth tried to annex Corcyra after the conflict between Corinth and Corcyra broke out at 435 B.C., which would change the navy power situation of Greek world and further become a very big potential menace to the security of the Delian League. Owing to this reasons, Pericles and Athens posed unyielding attitude to it. At the same time, Sparta alliance didn't yet yield. The result is that the war broke out finally. Although the responsibility of the war wasn't ascribed to Pericles himself, the yieldingness showed by his foreign policy made his rivalry tend to underestimate the Athenian power, which made Sparta's attitude tougher. All of these intensified the conflict and finally led to the war breaking out. At the eve of the war, Pericles proposed his limited war strategy, trying to take the advantage of Athenian navy and economy to win the war. But after Pericles died of illness at 429 B.C., the Athenian war strategy swayed heavily, resulting in fatal war impolicy and loss, and finally Athens was beaten.The fifth chapter discusses the character and historical position of Pericles' foreign policy. Firstly, the author deal with the birth of the term of the Athenian Empire and the definition of Empire, demonstrating that the Delian League wasn't an empire and the Athenian leadership of the Delian League wasn't imperial rule, though to some extent it had some characteristics of empire. Based upon it, I further analyze the peace character of Pericles'foreign policy. Secondly, I explain the connotation of panhellenism, believing that panhellenism existed both in ideology and in practice and Pericles' foreign policy actively advanced the panhellenic cause in practice.The epilogue explicates the historical influence of Pericles'foreign policy which enables both Athens and the rest of Greek world to benefit from. Firstly, just because Pericles unremittingly carried out his policy, the Greek world realized general peace and made the economy prosperous. Secondly, Athens was the first winner of Pericles'foreign policy. The maintenance of peace and the development of Athenian economy, developed the Athenian democracy and enabled its culture and art prosperous, and pushed the Greek civilization upon to the brilliant summit finally.In conclusion, this thesis makes systemic analysis and explication of Pericles' foreign policy, which will beneficial to the further study of Pericles and the re-understanding of the history of the age of Pericles.