УDeath of a CityФ
Although he lived some 2,500 years ago, one can learn much from the
Greek historian Hieronymus.
ааааааааааа Perhaps no chapter of
his history of the ancient Mediterranean world is more interesting than that
which discusses Aleris, a city of high culture.а Located on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean, Aleris preceded
Athens in the arts and sciences, as well as in commerce and agriculture.а Hieronymus claims that descendants of exiled
Aleri citizens, who had settled in Athens, were the originators of Greek
philosophy.
ааааааааааа Be this as it may,
Aleris was the envy of the Mediterranean.а
The city often found itself at war with other cities (or
city-states).а But such was the
undaunted courage of her citizens and the advanced state of her military arts,
that Aleris readily defeated her enemies on the battlefield.
ааааааааааа According to
Hieronymus, war in those days was the norm of "international"
relations.а Pacifism was unheard
of.а Yet, toward the end of the sixth
century before the common era, something unprecedented happened:а a peace party called the "Thirty"
came to power in Aleris.а The peace
party constantly magnified the danger of war in order to make citizens feel
dependent on their rulers and on the new political order.а Hieronymus explains:а
ааааааааааа "Prior to the
reign of the Thirty, the people of Aleris were spirited warriors.а Proud of their heritage, disdainful of their
enemies, they were superior to all in battle and second to none in their love
of liberty.а Fearing only the gods, and
believing in a life after death, they were all the more disposed to fight and
die in defense of their fatherland.а
ааааааааааа "Now, by means of
deception and bribery, the Thirty came to power.а The new rulers, consisting of sophists, rejected Aleris's sacred
tradition.а They realized, however, that
they would have to undermine the religion of their people to render them
fearful of war, pliable, and dependent on their government.
ааааааааааа "Accordingly, the
priests were given lucrative government positions to silence them about the
warlike intentions of Aleris's enemies.а
Also, the Thirty curtailed and eventually eliminated public funds for
the religious education of youth.а In
this way the anti-traditionalist peace party diminished the likelihood of any
popular revolution led by the old religious leaders.
ааааааааааа "Recognizing that war
fosters public-spiritedness which could threaten their own power, the peace
party established schools to foster pacifism.а
Paltry self-indulgence became the way of life of a once austere city.а Gone was the manliness of previous
times.а
ааааааааааа "The new educators
of Aleris constantly intoned peace as the highest value.а In truth, they were only animated by the
desire for comfortable self-preservation.а
But by making the city's educators part of the ruling elite, the Thirty
had no fear of revolution from that source.
ааааааааааа "Meanwhile the
Thirty reorganized the Aleris army.а
Officers were allowed to retire at the age of 40, and with a pension
that would make them virtually independent.а
High-ranking officers were co-opted into the peace party or made the
overseers of some commercial or other enterprise.а This bound the military to the ruling elite and the existing
political order.а There was no fear of a
military coup.
ааааааааааа "To further
consolidate their power, the Thirty abolished private ownership in Aleris.а They understood that nothing makes a people
more spirited than possessing their own means of livelihood.а By making citizens dependent on government
largess, the peace party rendered the people of Aleris servile.
ааааааааааа "Consistent
therewith, the ruling elite greatly multiplied the number of government
jobs.а Although most of these jobs had
little or no economic justification, they increased the number of citizens who
would oppose any change in the political and economic status quo.а In this way the peace party precluded revolution
from below as well as from above.
ааааааааааа "The Thirty thus
controlled all the levers of power in Aleris for many years.а And since the word peace was always on the
lips of politicians, priests, and educators, the people were held in blissful
ignorance of the tyranny that held sway in their country.а They believed that their safety and welfare
depended not only on the ruling elite but on the existing form of
government.а
ааааааааааа "When any brave
soul spoke up and sought to awaken people from this thralldom, he was either
ignored, maligned as an enemy of peace, incarcerated, or exiled.
ааааааааааа "Of course this
condition could not possibly last.а
Although the rulers of Aleris signed peace treaties with their
neighbors, the latter regarded such treaties as preparation periods for the
next war, which eventually descended on Aleris like a thunderbolt.а These peace treaties only gulled the people
of Aleris and made them less vigilant.
ааааааааааа "And so a slavish
craving for peace produced only war--the last to be fought by a once brave and
noble people."