Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.6, 2017

 

The Rise of Athens and Sparta’s “Fear”: The “Thucydides Trap” (Abstract)

 

Yan Shaoxiang

 

Thucydides stressed that it was the rise of Athens and the fear this inspired in Sparta that was the root cause of Peloponnesian War. However, this argument is very much at odds with his record of the “fifty years of peace.” A review of Sparta’s policy toward Athens and other city-states reveals the bellicose nature of Sparta’s foreign policy. Thucydides’ judgment has been widely accepted in academia because it distinguishes between superficial pretexts and underlying causes; moreover, it has gained wide currency because it falls in with the theoretical requirements of the realist school in today’s international relations. Whether seen as historical fact or as a theoretical principle, the “rise” and “fear” that Thucydides used to explain the outbreak of Peloponnesian War and the concept of the “Thucydides trap” that emerged from it seem more like a “trap” dug by Thucydides for future generations; we should approach it with prudence rather than accepting it uncritically.