Athens and Sparta, both Greek city-states were not always in a state of peace as one might believe, they were in a constant state of combat, however one event will forever turn this around. Many early nations are broken up into independent states, who see themselves as separate from each other even though they may share a common ancestry or nationality, however certain events causes patriotism to be put aside and allows them to become united as one. This change from independent city-states into a bigger, united nation is seen in both ancient and modern times. In the ancient world, Greece was divided up into different warring cities who were all under the same Greek Empire, however it was not until the Persian War that these cities united themselves against a common goal. In the Modern World, during World War 2, the United states was once enemies with the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan), however many vears after the war has ended they are now considered allies. Finally, alliances comes with both pros and cons, a pro is the availability of resources and free trade, and a con is possibly being dragged into unwanted wars or having to financially bail out an ally.
The Persian war was fought between the Greeks and the Persians and was started because of the tensions between these two countries. These tensions began after the Greek city-state of Athens sent supplies to support the Ionians who were fighting the Persians, however Persia was not in favor of Athen’s decisions, so in retaliation the Persians declared war on all Greece. This declaration of war caused the Greeks to become united as one and to fight together for a common goal, which was to preserve their way of lives and to defend Greece at all costs, and the only way to accomplish this is if the Greeks united as one to defend against the invading Persians. However if it were not for this war, the Greeks would have absolutely no reason to become allies and would have continued fighting amongst each other. Ironically, this peace as a result of the Greek unity only lasted until the end of the Persian War, and a few years later the Athenians and Spartans were once again fighting each other.
Throughout the years and through modern history, the United States has had many allies and enemies, however some enemies have become allies and vice versa. World War II, which was a battle mainly fought between the Allied Powers (United States, Britain and USSR and the Axis (Germany, Italy and Japan) is a perfect example of the relationship the U.S. has with foreign nations. The first example is between the United States and USSR. During World War 2 these two nations were allies, however once the war ended they became enemies for reasons such as: lack of trust and disagreement on treaties/compromises. This relationship between what is now Russia and the U.S. can be described as a constant tension, not too friendly, but also not too hostile. The second example is between the United States and Italy. At the start of World War 2, Italy was sided with the Axis Powers and thus an enemy of the U.S., however after time the Italians flopped over to the Allied Powers side and thus became Allies with the U.S. The relationship between the U.S. and Italy can be described as friendly because of the ability to have free trade, borders open to travelers and no hostile attacks towards the U.S.
Having alliances can have both its pros and cons, however in order for it to be a good relationship, the pros must outweigh the cons because no nation wants to be dragged down with the wrongful actions of an ally. Two major Pros in having alliances are: Having the ability to undergo free trade with a certain country in order to receive goods not available in one’s own country, and lastly “Strength in Numbers” and financial support. All these Pros allow a country to do 2 things; the first is being able to thrive by providing its people its people necessary resources not readily available to them, and the second is a sense of defense granted through through military and economical support, which will cause other countries to think twice before invading because you have a “strength in numbers” Two major cons are: The Possibility of having to bail out an ally or being dragged into an unwanted war. These cons will only result in the weighing down of a nation because no world power wants to be responsible for wasting their tax payer money to bail out an ally or to have a possibility of risking the lives of men and women because they were dragged into an unwanted war.
Greece was a mighty empire who had many city-states, however contrary to what one might believe, these city-states were always in constant war because of the disputes over the possession of resources and land. However, one event will forever change how the Greek city- states will look at each other, this event is the Persian War which brought unity and peace amongst these independent Greek states. These same events can be seen in the modern world through the allies and enemies of the United States. At the height of World War II, the Italians who were the enemies of the U.S. has decided to flop sides and join the Allied Powers, the Allies were skeptic at first, but however still decided to let Italy join, and thus Italy and the U.S became allies. Alliances come with both Pros and Cons, but in order for an alliance to truly be an alliance, the Pros must outweigh the cons. An example of a Pro is the ability to conduct free trade and an example of a con si the possibility of being dragged into unwanted wars by an ally.
