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

THE COUP 155
to Athens with Alcibiades in 407. 92 In 406 the two men served together
as trierarchs at the battle of Arginusae, both were assigned by the
generals to help the men on the disabled vessels, and both stood side
by side during the trial!' After the war the two men took different
paths in response to the defeat. Thrasybulus, exiled by the Thirty,
organized an army of liberation against the government of the Thirty
installed by the Spartans. Theramenes stayed in Athens, became a
member of the Thirty, and worked consistently and bravely, ultimately
at the cost of his life, to turn it into a moderate regime. In his speech
defending himself against the assault ofCritias, he named Thtasybulus
among the "capable leaders" the Thirty had foolishly banished_.' It is
noteworthy that after his death the Thirty thought it reasonable to
invite Thrasybulus to take his place among their number. 95
However, the two did not hold identical views. It may be that
Thrasybulus was willing to limit democracy only temporarily and for
purely practical reasons. Theramenes seems to have preferred a limited
democracy to the full one favored by most Athenians. Thrasybulus
seems to have mistrusted the oligarchs entirely after his experience
with the conspiracy of 4"· Theramenes, to the end, expected to be
able to guide the oligarchic movement toward a moderate constitution
not too far from democracy. But from 4" to the end of the war, they
worked together closely and effectively, pursuing the same policies
and holding the same offices under different regimes. Nobody, in
antiquity or in modern times, thought to charge Thrasybulus with
inconstancy or self-seeking. He built an army in exile and restored
a democracy considerably more moderate than the one destroyed by
the Spartan victory. 96 On the other hand, rather than endure the true,
narrow, oligarchy imposed by Critias, Theramenes protested, at the
cost of his life, against the exile of worthy men and the narrowing of
the franchise beyond moderation. The difference between Theramenes
and Thrasybulus appears to have been one of emphasis, personal style,
and temperament more than of basic political ideas and personal
integrity.
To be sure, in each regime Theramenes sought office and influence
nDiod. IJ.IB.z-64.3; Nepos A/c. 5.4-6.
9
JXen. r.6.JS-7·35·
94 Xen. l.J-42.
95
Diod. I4-3l·5·
96
A. H. M. Jones, Athenian Democracy (Oxford, 1969), 2 3-58, 79-96; McCoy, "Theramenes,"
194.