The Fall of the Athenian Empire-(A New History of the Peloponnesian War) Donald Kagan - (1987)

THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT 121
forces at Samos together "and openly told the many that the King
would be their friend and provide them with money if they took back
Alci biades and were not governed by a democracy. " 60 Thus the soldiers
and sailors were told everything that the members of the organization
knew. There was no use of the word oligarchy, but that word had been
abandoned by Alcibiades himself in his private conversations with
organization leaders. If the common man did not know that plans to
establish a narrow and permanent oligarchy lurked in the hearts of
some members, neither did insiders such as Thrasybulus.
"The mob," as Thucydides refers to the assembly of soldiers and
sailors, "even if it was somewhat annoyed at the moment by what had
been done, subsided into silence because of the hopeful prospect of
pay from the King."" This account of what must have been a heated
and extended discussion is both tendentious and brief. The implication
is that the Athenian forces at Samos were prepared to allow the restoration
of the traitor Alcibiades and an attenuation of their beloved
democracy because of greed. 6 ' The passage brings to mind Thucydides'
explanation of the popular enthusiasm for the Sicilian campaign of 415.
"The mass of the people and the soldiers hoped to get money at the
moment and to make an addition to their empire from which they
would have a never ending source of income. " 61 Whatever the reasons
the ordinary fighting men of Athens may have had for supporting the
Sicilian expedition, they had stronger motives than greed for being
willing to consider even unwelcome proposals late in 412 and to think
such unthinkable thoughts as were being proposed to them. The salvation
of their city was at issue, perhaps their own lives and those of
their families, for they could not be sure that a victorious and vengeful
enemy would not treat Athens as the Athenians had treated Scione
and Melos. No doubt there were outcries at the suggestion of Alcibiades'
return and even louder ones at talk of not being governed by
a democracy. Probably the intervention of trusted men such as Thrasybulus
helped calm the gathering and remind the men that by swallowing
such bitter pills they could obtain the financial support that
would allow them to carry on the war and win it . ..,.
60
8.48.2.
618.48·]·
62
Meyer (GdA, IV, 286) has caught the sense well: "To the crowd of sailors who
were told of Alcibiades' demands and promises the prospect of plentiful wages was
welcome in the highest degree." See also Ha{zfeld, Alcibiade, 233.
6l6.24·3·
64
McCoy, "Theramenes," 25-26.