I have been studying the Peloponnesian war (431 BC-404 BC) and I cannot help but notice the similarities between that war and the full scale NATO-Warsaw Pact scenarios that children of the Cold War grew up with.
The Spartans, products of a militarized culture and somewhat slow to react to events, fit into the role of the Soviet Union. Their fairly backward economic model certainly helps in any comparison to Moscow.
The Athenians are a more vigorous naval power with widespread interests that the Spartans want to desperately keep out of their sphere of influence. Athenian emphasis on commercial endeavors give the future capital of the modern state of Greece a more "American" feel.
I have all ready mentioned that Sparta's land power and Athens' naval might further empahized the Soviet-US comparison but it is Spartan treatment of freed prisoners that have fallen into Athenian hands that reminds me of Joe Stalin.
Spartan prisoners, having seen the outside world, were kept from the population in general while in a "deprograming" mode until the authorities deemed them fit to mix with their comrades again. That is a lot like what Soviet POWs went through after 1945.
The Athenian-Spartan confrontation is complete even with a "Cold War" after teaming up to defeat the great Persian invasion. Substitute "Athenian-Spartan" with "US-Soviet" and do the same with "Persia" and "Nazi Germany" and you will see what I mean.
I would not want to carry the comparison too far though. No, not because of the Athenian imperialist tendencies or even some of the things both sides did to each other.
It is because Sparta won...
...not exactly the way Red Storm Rising ended!
I was thinking the same thing! Athens is America and Sparta the USSR and then I remembered who won at the end. Opps!
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