Thrasybulus: Encyclopedia II - Thrasybulus - Historical Opinions

Thrasybulus - Historical Opinions

Most of the major ancient chroniclers of these events were inclined to assign credit for the dramatic Athenian victories of 411 BC to Alcibiades. A few, however, such as Cornelius Nepos, pointed to the decisive role that was played in these battles by Thrasybulus. More recent historians, such as Donald Kagan, have tended to support this analysis, pointing to the role that Thrasybulus played in crafting Athenian strategy in all these battles, and specifically to the decisive action he took at Cyzicus, which saved Alcibiades's force from being swamped, and turned a potential Athenian defeat into a stunning victory^[13].

Throughout his career, Thrasybulus defended democracy at Athens against his opponents. Although he appears to have been willing to support a moderate oligarchy when Athenian fortunes were at their nadir, he was still one of the few prominent citizens who the Samians trusted to defend their democracy, and who the fleet selected to lead it through the troubled time of conflict with the 400. Later, in his opposition to the Thirty Tyrants, Thrasybulus risked his life when few others would, and his actions were responsible for the quick restoration of democracy. In the words of Cornelius Nepos,

This most noble action, then, is entirely Thrasybulus's; for when the Thirty Tyrants, appointed by the Lacedaemonians, kept Athens oppressed in a state of slavery, and had partly banished from their country, and partly put to death, a great number of the citizens whom fortune had spared in the war, and had divided their confiscated property among themselves, he was not only the first, but the only man at the commencement, to declare war against them.^[14]

Thus Thrasybulus won praise as an Athenian patriot and staunch, principled democrat. He has been criticized by modern historians, however, for failing to recognize that Athens in the 4th century could not sustain an imperial policy^[15]. As a whole then, we have a picture of Thrasybulus as a talented commander and statesman, deeply devoted to his country and its government, who, if his advice was not always the wisest, at least sought to better his country at all times.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Historical Opinions", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki