SOURCE: Hamilton, Charles D. “Conclusion.” In Sparta's Bitter Victories: Politics and Diplomacy in the Corinthian War, pp. 326-29. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1979.

In the following excerpt, Hamilton summarizes the significance of factional political rivalry in Sparta during the pre-Corinthian War period of the early fourth century b.c.

The period from 405 to 386 opened on a note of joy and optimism, when the Spartans and their allies tore down the walls of Athens, the symbol of imperial oppression, to the music of flute playing. Many thought that that day heralded the beginning of freedom and peace for Greece, but such hopes were premature and short-lived. Within less than a decade, the victors of Aegospotami had alienated their former allies and were responsible, in large measure, for the outbreak of a new war among the Greeks. This war marked a breakdown of the traditional political alliances in Greece...