Renowned Ancient Greek Historian, Pioneer of Political Realism: Thucydides

Revised Article:

Meet Thucydides: The Original Political Realist and Historian Extraordinaire

Remember Thucydides? Yeah, that didn't ring a bell, did it? Let me refresh your memory. Thucydides (460 BC - c. 400 BC) was a badass Athenian historian and general known for writing the History of the Peloponnesian War. He's considered the father of "scientific history" because of his strict standards of impartiality, evidence-gathering, and analysis of cause and effect.

But he's also the father of political realism, a school of thought that explains political behavior based on emotions such as fear and self-interest. You heard that right—Thucydides was all about the hard-nosed, cold-blooded realpolitik. His book is still studied at universities and military colleges worldwide. The Melian Dialogue, a conversation between Athenian and Melian representatives, is a classic example of IR theory, while Pericles' Funeral Oration, a eulogy for the dead soldiers, is a favorite among political theorists, historians, and classics enthusiasts.

Now, Thucydides had a pretty colorful life, marked by military battles, plagues, and a punt to political exile. Born in the deme of Halimous, he served as an Athenian strategist during the Peloponnesian War. Tragically, he became embroiled in the Battle of Amphipolis, where the Spartans snatched victory from the jaws of defeat (yikes!). Since the Athenians blamed Thucydides for their loss, he was exiled, thus allowing him to witness the war from both the Athenian and Spartan perspectives.

One of the fascinating aspects of Thucydides is his take on human nature. He believed that people reveal themselves during crises—be it plagues, massacres, or civil wars. He applied this insight to explain the behavior of individuals and entire societies, making him a groundbreaking psychologist of his time.

Now, What's the Beef with Herodotus?

So, if you thought Thucydides had it rough, just take a glance at his predecessor, Herodotus (484 BC - c. 425 BC). He's called "the father of history," but that's not enough to impress Thucydides. Thucydides was all about facts, while Herodotus loved a good yarn. Herodotus's books were like a modern-day TED Talk—he'd hop from topic to topic, covering everything from geographical descriptions to ethnographical information, and of course, epic battles. Herodotus loved to present both sides of a story, warts and all.

Yep, that's right—Herodotus was all about the dramatics with his tales of moral lessons that flowed from conflicts like the Persian Wars. Thucydides, on the other hand, was chillaxing in the corner, recording political and military events in a straightforward and unbiased manner. It's no wonder Thucydides is the go-to guy for military academies and think tanks.

In the end, both Thucydides and Herodotus exerted powerful influences on Western historiography. Their work still shapes our understanding of the past and provides a foundation for contemporary interpretations of international relations. Thucydides' analytical approach has been instrumental in shaping modern International Realism, a perspective that highlights the role of power, self-interest, and fear in state behavior.

So there you have it, folks—next time you're stuck in a history debate, drop these names and watch your mates' eyes light up! Ya know, 'cause history is so gosh-darn exciting when you make it sexy! ;)

References:- Cornelius Castoriadis, "The Greek Polis and the Creation of Democracy" in The Castoriadis Reader. Translated and edited by David Ames Curtis, Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1997, p. 267-289- Cornelius Castoriadis, Thucydides, la force et le droit. Ce qui fait la Grèce. Tome 3, Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 2011.- Connor, W. Robert, Thucydides. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.- Dewald, Carolyn, Thucydides' War Narrative: A Structural Study. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2006.- Finley, John Huston, Jr., Thucydides. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1947.- Forde, Steven, The ambition to rule: Alcibiades and the politics of imperialism in Thucydides. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1989.- Hanson, Victor Davis, A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War. New York: Random House, 2005.- Hornblower, Simon, A Commentary on Thucydides. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon, 1991-1996.- Hornblower, Simon, Thucydides. London: Duckworth, 1987.- Kagan, Donald, The Archidamian War. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1974.- Kagan, Donald, The Peloponnesian War. New York: Viking Press, 2003.- Luce, T.J., The Greek Historians. London: Routledge, 1997.- Luginbill, R.D., Thucydides on War and National Character. Boulder: Westview, 1999.- Momigliano, Arnaldo, The Classical Foundations of Modern Historiography - *Sather Classical Lectures 54). Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.- Novo, Andrew and Jay Parker, Restoring Thucydides. New York: Cambria Press, 2020.- Orwin, Clifford, The Humanity of Thucydides. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994.- Podoksik, Efraim, "Justice, Power, and Athenian Imperialism: An Ideological Moment in Thucydides' History" in History of Political Thought 26(1): 21-42, 2005.- Romilly, Jacqueline de, Thucydides and Athenian Imperialism. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1963.- Rood, Tim, Thucydides: Narrative and Explanation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.- Russett, Bruce (1993). Grasping the Democratic Peace. Princeton University Press.- de Sainte Croix, The origins of the Peloponnesian War. London: Duckworth, 1972. pp. xii, 444.- Strassler, Robert B, ed, The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War. New York: Free Press, 1996.- Strauss, Leo, The City and Man Chicago: Rand McNally, 1964.- Zagorin, Perez, Thucydides: an Introduction for the Common Reader*. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005.

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*Public Historian: Matthew A. McIntosh

Thucydides' influential historiography in the fields of scientific history, political history, and international relations has made him a subject of study not only for general-news enthusiasts but also for military academies, think tanks, and political theorists.
Despite both Thucydides and Herodotus holding significant positions in Western historiography, their contrasting approaches—Thucydides' analytical and fact-based versus Herodotus' dramatic and storytelling—have shaped distinct perspectives on the study and understanding of history, particularly in the realm of international relations, where Thucydides' work has been instrumental in shaping modern International Realism.