The fuck were they thinking?

Alcibiades could've done it, anon.

>>2806929
When I read about the Peloponnesian War I don't understand why the Athenians thought it was a good idea for their generals to live in fear of being executed for failure. Dumb.

>>2806623
They weren't thinking. Right at the beginning of book VI of his history, Thucydides writes that the Athenians "were for the most part ignorant of the size of the island [Sicily] and of the numbers of the inhabitants, both Greek and native, and they did not realize that they were taking on a war of almost the same magnitude as their war against the Peloponnesians". (Rex Warner translation)
But yeah, Alcibiades could have pulled it off.

>>2807310
How? It is mentioned that Carthage couldn't invade Sicily and If I am not mistaken Carthage was pretty even with the Delian league. Correct me if I am wrong though.

>>2807373
I should have said that Alcibiades might have pulled it off. You're right, it would have been a long shot. But if he could have avoided some of Nicias' mistakes, especially by acting more quickly, then he would have had a chance. But it would have been logistically impossible for Athens to have maintained effective control of Syracuse, so in the long run it may not have mattered.

>>2807310
>>2806929
Was Alcibiades that good?

>>2807405
He really was. I believe that his only defeat was at Notium, and that was because one of his subordinates disobeyed orders. He was clever and could act decisively. If it hadn't been for those damned herms.....

it doesn't really matter anyway, even if Athens had won the war they'd all be at eachother's throats again in a couple decades

the greeks really did need someone to put them out of their misery