Page:Outlines of European History.djvu/229

 The Repidse of Persia and the Athenian Empire 1 83 do so except members of the laboring class entirely without Complete property. With one exception there was no longer any eleciipn democracy of the higher officers, but they were now all chosen by lot from the whole body of eligible citizens. The result was that the men holding the once influential positions in the State were now mere chance " nobodies " and hence completely without influence. It was, however, impossible to choose a military commander The leader- idrategus) by lot. These important offices remained elective Peddes and thus open to men of ability and influence, into whose hands the direction of affairs naturally fell. It thus became more and more possible for a strong and influential leader, a man of per- suasive eloquence like Pericles, to lay out a definite series of plans for the nation and by his oratory to induce the Assembly of the Athenian citizens on the Pnyx (Fig. 89) to accept them. Year after year Pericles was thus able to retain the confidence of the people. He became the actual head of the State in power, or, as we should say, the undisputed political " boss" of Athens from about 460 B.C. until his untimely death over thirty years later. Pericles had won favor with the people by favoring a policy New de- of hostility to Sparta, a policy opposed to Cimon's attitude of Athens; friendship toward the only dangerous rival of Athens in the '^^^ngf, struggle for the leadership of Hellas. Pericles greatly strength- ened the defenses of Athens by inducing the people to connect the fortifications of the city with those of the Pirseus harbor by two " Long Walls," thus forming a road completely walled in, connecting Athens and her harbor (Fig. 86 and plan, p. 173). The inevitable war with Sparta lasted nearly fifteen years. First war with varying fortunes on both sides. The Athenian merchants A^thenTand resented the keen commercial rivalry of ^gina, planted as the ^^^^^x^^' flourishing island was at the very front door of Attica (see map, p. 1 46). They finally captured the island after a long siege. Pericles Athenians likewise employed the Athenian- navy in blockading for years yEgina the merchant fleets of the other great rival of Athens and friend of Sparta, Corinth (Fig. 76), and thus brought financial ruin on its merchants.