Changes

The conservatism of the Spartans was often a strength but also a weakness. The state or society did not change and adapt to new social, political and military realities. Sparta was unable to change- this meant that it was inflexible and many even at the time saw it as a society that was petrifying.<ref>Forrest, W.G., A History of Sparta, 950–192 B.C., New York: W. W. Norton & C, 1968), p. 113</ref> The Spartans did not change their military tactics and still used the traditional tactics even when other states in Greece, such as Thebes were updating the phalanx formation. Then the Spartans could not change even when the citizen body went into a precipitous decline. There was no meaningful effort to reform the agoge system. The society seemed incapable of dealing with many of the problems that it faced in the wake of its victory in the Peloponnesian War.<ref>Forrest, p. 145</ref>

Spartan was the victor of the Peloponnesian War and by 400 BCE it was the greatest power in the Greek world and a major player in the eastern Mediterranean. However, by 377 BCE the Spartans had been defeated in battle for the first time and it lost the leadership of Greece. The decline in Spartan power was due to military, social and cultural factors that allowed other states to challenge its preeminent position in the Greek world. Among the longer-term trends that undermine Sparta was the decline in the numbers of citizens and since they formed the backbone of the army, this greatly weakened Spartan power. The premium placed on stability and order meant that the Spartans distrusted change and this conservatism meant that Sparta could not change to meet the challenges that it faced. Then the Peloponnesian War produced tensions in society and the increasing wealth as a result of war-booty, created growing inequality between the citizens.

<references/>

{{Contributors}}