Topic: Past - Present

Learning Achievement: Reflects about the presence of war in today’s world.

Ancient Greece was not one country. It was a collection of city-states. The Greeks were very
proud of their city-state. If you asked a Greek where he was from, he would not say he was from
Greece. Instead, he would say he was a man of Athens or of Sparta or of one of the other
Greek city-states. But, the Greeks did think of themselves as one people. They had a common
language. They had a common history. They had a common religion. They believed in the same
gods. They knew from the stories they told and loved that the only way to beat a common
enemy was to work together. Individual city-states in ancient Greece fought each other all the
time. But city-states also teamed up to fight invaders like the ancient Persians.

Greek Warriors - All citizens in

ancient Greece were warriors.
But the Spartans were the best
warriors in all of Greece. There
was no argument about that.
The city-state of Sparta was
basically a well-trained army. In
other city-states, children
entered military school at age
18. In Sparta, they entered at
age 6. Spartan girls were taught
how to fight as well. Their
school was separate from the
boys' school. It was not as
brutal, perhaps. But still, the
girls learned how to fight and
steal and lie and kill - skills that could save their lives in times of war.

The Delian League - The Persian Wars had drained the Greeks. The Greeks won, but they
wanted to be ready if the Persians ever came back. About 200 city-states banded together to
form the Delian League. The Delian League was formed to create a treasury. The idea was that
all the city-states in the league would pay money into the treasury to create a savings account.
That account was to be used, if necessary, to fund a war. War was expense. It took money to
make weapons, build ships, and train men.

The Peloponnesian War - The Peloponnesian War was a war fought between Sparta and
Athens. It lasted 27 years. Sparta and Athens were always in disagreement. They did not get
along. But 27 years! It was a terrible war. Sparta won. They were generous in victory, which was
unusual for the Spartans. They usually fought to the death. Ten years after the war ended,
Athens had regained much of her former glory, but Athens never completely recovered. Many
historians consider that this was the first conflict between two opposite political points of view
between Greek democracy and Spartan oligarchy.
Topic: Past-Present

Learning achievement: Distinguishes between violent conflicts that take place within countries
and those between States.

What Is a War?
A war is typically fought by a country or group of countries against an opposing country with the
aim of achieving an objective through the use of force. Wars can also be fought within a country
in the form of a civil or revolutionary war.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "war" is defined as
1. A state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country.
2. A state of competition or hostility between different people or groups.
3. A sustained campaign against an undesirable situation or activity.
Wars have been a part of human history for thousands of years, and have become increasingly
destructive as industrialization and technology continues to advance.

What Is the Cause of Conflict?

There is rarely one single, clear cause of conflict and, ultimately, war. The causes of a war are
usually numerous, and several reasons for a conflict can be intertwined in a complicated way.
Many theories have been put forth over the years as to why wars happen, and some of the
greatest minds have offered their take on the subject.
In the article below, I'll provide a general overview of the eight main reasons for war.

Eight Main Causes of War

1. Economic Gain
2. Territorial Gain
3. Religion
4. Nationalism
5. Revenge
6. Civil War
7. Revolutionary War
8. Defensive War
Taken from: https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/The-Main-Reasons-For-War
Visit the website The 8 Main reason for war and read the description of the eight causes for war
listed above. After reading them, answer the following questions.