### id253459969 Athenian power came from subjugation > Of course the Athenians are going to say that their empire and democracy made them into a shining beacon of equality, opportunity and human achievement; it was essential to present themselves as such to deflect accusations that they were enslaving the rest of the Greek world. Their ability to patronise artists and develop all forms of art and literature, after all, was paid for by their subject allies. The Athenians were the first to levy tribute on other Greeks, and any state that tried to break away from this obligation was ruthlessly punished. For all its supposed brilliance, Imperial Athens was, according to Thucydides, hated by all; the Spartans had an easy time justifying the Peloponnesian War as a crusade to "liberate the Greeks". - [View Highlight](https://reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r2urd2/athens_a_small_city_of_250k_gave_rise_to_a?__readwiseLocation=0%2F2%2F0%2F4%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F5%2F1%2F0%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F5%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A41%2C0%2F2%2F0%2F4%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F5%2F1%2F0%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F5%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A788#:~:text=Of%20course%20the%20Athenians%20are%2Ccrusade%20to%20%22liberate%20the%20Greeks%22.) - [[how did the small city of Athens birth so much brilliance#id253459969 Athenian power came from subjugation|View in Vault]]