Spartans won their war against Athens, fighting
they said to restore liberty to those states
that had been "enslaved" by Athens. The Spartans continued
acting as Greece's
police force, maintaining the victory of aristocrats against
rebellion and trying to maintain their position as the dominant
power. Security for Sparta lay
more in the
support it had among other cities. It lost this support and a
war against Thebes. Spartans were tired of war. In their sense of purpose they
fragmented. Some became interested in personal
wealth, and they divided between wealthy and poor.
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