Big subject to sum up but important (to current and past affairs) so will start at the beginning; who was Thucydides for starters?
Most people who have had any classical history teaching (apart from films) will know that the Greeks 'invented' what we today call 'history'. Herodotus and his Iliad (story of the Trojan War) lived circa 484–425 BC and after him came Thucydides (circa 460-400 BC) who documented the most part of a long and bitter war (with a brief interlude) between Athens and Sparta during a time that he lived in, having served as an Athenian General in the early part of a 27yr long armed struggle. Today we call that war 'the Peloponnesian War'.
The prelude to this war, according to Thucydides, was the rise of Athens after the Persian invasions. Hellas was, at the time, made up of city states and Sparta, who had a professional military citizenship (the fields being worked by subjugated slaves) was regarded as the natural leader during the Persian wars and during the last land battle (Plataea) fielded a force of around 10,000 compared the Athenian force of around 8,000. After chasing the Persians out of what they considered 'mainland Hellas' many of the cities states wanted to free the Islands and the Greeks who then lived on the western coast of Anatolia (modern day Turkey) but Sparta, having no knowledge of naval matters (probably considering "below them" as to have a navy you need money and Sparta in theory did not allow gold as a currency) and being 'conservative' (as they had a slave population to control) was not interested in further pan Hellenic liberation efforts and turned back to their own way of life. Thus Athens became leader of those city states that wished to continue the war and formed the 'Delian League' and a mutual treasury into which all payed that was until 454 BC stored on the Island of Delos. In 454 BC the mutual treasury was removed to Athens and for this reason the period after is known as the 'Athenian Empire' as naturally most of the say (and money) of the League was then dictated by Athens. Thus the rise of Athens.
So back to Thucydides, the unfortunate General who was exiled from Athens after have been perceived to arrive too late to relieve Amphipolis in 423 BC he says in his famous book that war between Athens and Sparta was "inevitable." The 'Thucydides trap' therefore is this historical determinism that any up and coming nation will 'inevitably' have to fight the older established power so for example is a US-China war 'inevitable'?
In some ways this form of historical determinism denies 'free will' of an or a group of individuals as well. If such things are indeed 'inevitable' what any person or group of people - even a Government - matters not a jot.
I welcome your thoughts.
Most people who have had any classical history teaching (apart from films) will know that the Greeks 'invented' what we today call 'history'. Herodotus and his Iliad (story of the Trojan War) lived circa 484–425 BC and after him came Thucydides (circa 460-400 BC) who documented the most part of a long and bitter war (with a brief interlude) between Athens and Sparta during a time that he lived in, having served as an Athenian General in the early part of a 27yr long armed struggle. Today we call that war 'the Peloponnesian War'.
The prelude to this war, according to Thucydides, was the rise of Athens after the Persian invasions. Hellas was, at the time, made up of city states and Sparta, who had a professional military citizenship (the fields being worked by subjugated slaves) was regarded as the natural leader during the Persian wars and during the last land battle (Plataea) fielded a force of around 10,000 compared the Athenian force of around 8,000. After chasing the Persians out of what they considered 'mainland Hellas' many of the cities states wanted to free the Islands and the Greeks who then lived on the western coast of Anatolia (modern day Turkey) but Sparta, having no knowledge of naval matters (probably considering "below them" as to have a navy you need money and Sparta in theory did not allow gold as a currency) and being 'conservative' (as they had a slave population to control) was not interested in further pan Hellenic liberation efforts and turned back to their own way of life. Thus Athens became leader of those city states that wished to continue the war and formed the 'Delian League' and a mutual treasury into which all payed that was until 454 BC stored on the Island of Delos. In 454 BC the mutual treasury was removed to Athens and for this reason the period after is known as the 'Athenian Empire' as naturally most of the say (and money) of the League was then dictated by Athens. Thus the rise of Athens.
So back to Thucydides, the unfortunate General who was exiled from Athens after have been perceived to arrive too late to relieve Amphipolis in 423 BC he says in his famous book that war between Athens and Sparta was "inevitable." The 'Thucydides trap' therefore is this historical determinism that any up and coming nation will 'inevitably' have to fight the older established power so for example is a US-China war 'inevitable'?
In some ways this form of historical determinism denies 'free will' of an or a group of individuals as well. If such things are indeed 'inevitable' what any person or group of people - even a Government - matters not a jot.
I welcome your thoughts.
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