What underlying cause does Thucydides distinguish from the immediate grievances leading to war?
Answer & explanation
The growth of Athenian power and the fear it caused in Sparta.
Thucydides presents Athenian growth and Spartan fear as an underlying pressure alongside concrete disputes such as those over Corcyra, Potidaea, and the Megarian decree. Distinguishing causal layers helps explain escalation without erasing specific actions.
History of the Peloponnesian War
Chapter 1 · The State of Greece from the earliest Times to the Commencement of the Peloponnesian War
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