The struggle for hegemony: Greek interstate politics and foreign policy, 404--371 B.C

The objectives of this dissertation are to provide a better understanding of Greek history from 404--371 B.C., and to evaluate the efficacy of international relations theory by using the events of these years as an empirical study. The introductory chapter presents the tenets of realism, neorealism, balance of power and hegemonic transition theories, and international history. It then describes the structure of the interstate system---the arrangement of states and their relative distribution of power---during the fifth century from the end of the Persian Wars to the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War. The following four chapters examine the history of the Greek poleis and Persia from this critical juncture to Sparta's defeat at the battle of Leuktra, discussing how changes in the interstate system created new challenges and opportunities for these states.; For each chronological division within the dissertation, I evaluate the major actors' interests, the role they envisioned for themselves, their relative strengths and weaknesses, their capability to react to changes in the interstate system, and the effect of changes in the interstate system upon them. The analysis considers these states' available foreign policy options and their subsequent interactions with each other at the state level. The conclusion includes a brief summary of the transformation of the interstate system, why the events of these years transpired, and various statements of how international relations theory helps to illuminate what happened. The dissertation concludes that the structure of the interstate system did not determine the actions of the Greek poleis and Persia, even though it often exerted a profound influence on the decision making process and subsequent course of events. Instead, this historical inquiry reveals that the varying intentions of states' foreign policies, as well as domestic political issues, were often more important than structural considerations.