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

140 THE FALL OF THE ATHENIAN EMPIRE
The first step was to make their situation secure at Samos. They
worked to gain firmer control of the hoplites in the army, a more
natural constituency than the property less sailors in the fleet. 30 Then
they plotted with "the important men" of Samos to establish an oligarchy
on that island." Without the support of a friendly government
at Samos and the hoplite corps of the Athenian forces there, the movement
had no future.
The next part of the plan required bringing Athens itself under the
movement's control. To that end Peisander, along with half of the
embassy that had accompanied him to the conference with Tissaphernes,
sailed for home. Their mission included still a third part of
the plan: the establishment of oligarchies in the cities of the empire.
This had been part of the scheme from the beginning, and Phrynichus'
arguments notwithstanding, the conspirators still believed it would
succeed." Peisander and his five companions were to stop in any allied
cities on the way to Athens. The other five envoys scattered to different
areas of the empire to try to establish oligarchies in each place." The
conspirators clearly believed that this policy was the way to save the
empire and carry on the war.
Peisander and his group were successful in setting up oligarchies in
the imperial cities through which they passed. They were even able
to collect some hoplites along the way to help them with their work
in Athens." But the only instance of such a constitutional change
described in some detail by Thucydides did not work out well. The
general Dieitrephes, who was on his way from Chios to a post in
Thrace, also was a member of the movement. When he reached Thasos,
he put down the democracy and established oligarchic rule. After
rwo months, however, the oligarchs joined forces with their friends
who had been driven out by the democracy and had gone into exile
in the Peloponnesus. The newly established oligarchs on the island
built fortifications against an Athenian attack and their friends brought
a fleet under the Corinthian general Timolaus. The oligarchs ofThasos
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