es as opposed to the Athenians who were never confronted by any enemy when they were at full strength. "If our enemies engage a detachment of our forces and defeat it, they give themselves credit for having thrown back our entire army; or, if they lose, they claim that they were beaten by us in full strength" (Pericles 44). By far the most important aspect was the system of government. They lived in a free democratic society where the people ruled. The governmental system was a model for neighboring societies. "Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people" (Pericles 43).Also in the writings of Thucydides it talks about the Mytilenian Debate and the Melian Dialogue. In the Mytilenian Debate it shows a decision making process in the governmental system. At first there was a motion to put all Mytilenians to death. Diodotus, who opposed the motion, said they should simply put the leaders to death and not the whole population. In turn there was a debate and Diodotus won. Therefore he saved the city and that shows how the Athenian society allows citizens to voice their own opinions. The Melian Dialogue shows how Athens eventually destroyed itself. They tried to control too many other societies or countries and could not control all of them. Pericles warned them this would happen if they tried to expand the empire too far but they did not listen. They were just delaying the inevitable and eventually Sparta defeated them.In the tragic play, "Antigone," it shows the dilemma of the individual vs. the state. During the play Antigone has to decide if she values her own judgement more than the states. Basically her brother committed treason and the state refuses to let him be buried. Antigone loves her brother and thinks he deserves a fair burial. She has to decide if she should break the law and face the consequences in order to bury her brother. This play shows th...
