If democracy is so sweet why a 10000000 men from many Asian culture and areas followed one man and sacrificed their life to fight the Greeks when they could simply join the democracy and the free world of the Spartans??????? Why where these man so eager to give their life and fight the deadly Spartans?
2007-03-12 10:33:12 · 5 answers · asked by bb h 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Oh, Sparta was NOT a democracy. You are thinking of its enemy, Athens.
And the city of Sparta was smaller that the massive Persian empire. That it why they had fewer men.
2007-03-12 10:42:01 · answer #1 · answered by Randy G 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Here are my answers:
1. Sparta did not have a democracy. You are thinking of Athens. If Sparta did have a democracy, that would have made the Persians that much MORE willing to attack, given the general ancient belief that democracy was unnatural and evil. (The Athenians really were revolutionaries in this regard).
2. Sparta was not a city, but a collection of ~5 villages with a peripheral community of citizens. That, in itself would make any Spartan contribution to a war much smaller than anything the Persians could muster, so they would always be outnumbered by the Persians. (Remember, the Persians were THE superpower of the day.) That's not to say that the Spartans couldn't have put together a larger army than 300 men if given more time (they certainly did so in the later Peloponnesian War).
3. As is most often the case, soldiers fight because they fight, and this is especially true in the case of conscripts. The ancient Persians wouldn't have been thinking, "Hmmm, these foreigners have a unique political system that will safeguard some of my rights as an individual. I think I'll change sides and fight for them instead."
2007-03-12 11:28:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
In the Persian army, there were few volunteers. Most were not there by choice. They were simply conscripted. When the Persians needed troops, they ordered the local satraps (governors) to recruit from the local population. In many cases, the Persians were not as eager as one might think. In addition, at that time very states within the Persian empire had the desire to revolt against Persian authority in part because the Persians had a policy of allowing local populations to maintain their own culture and identity. Two, until the defeats at the hands of the Greeks, the Persian army was one of the most sucessful armies around. Thus, there was a Persians posessed the ability to defeat local insurrections.
2007-03-12 10:47:29 · answer #3 · answered by mohacs1 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well first you should research some, just cause the movie 300 came out and had a plot line of 300 sparta Vs. 100,000 persians doesn't mean its true, it was more in the ballpark of 1500 sparta.
Second- Sparta was simlar to the Nazi's in the fact that they were trying to bread one race of man, so to join them....yeah that wouldn't have gone to well.
2007-03-12 10:43:00 · answer #4 · answered by juggalohomie6 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
they probaly think Spartans were strong and superior so, they didnt want to lose a chance to be on the winning side (they think they're on the winning side). that is my hypothesis.
2007-03-12 10:42:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋