Part of the Peloponnesian War | |
Date | June 9, 411 BC |
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Location | Athens |
Type | Coup |
Cause | A revolution by members of the Athenian elite after a fiscal crisis caused by the failure of the Sicilian Expedition |
Organised by | Alcibiades |
Outcome | Overthrow of the democratic government of ancient Athens and replacement with a short-lived oligarchy known as the Four Hundred |
The Athenian coup of 411 BC was the result of a revolution that took place during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. The coup overthrew the democratic government of ancient Athens and replaced it with a short-lived oligarchy known as the Four Hundred.
In the wake of the financial crisis caused by the failed Sicilian Expedition of the Athenian military in 413 BC, some high-status Athenian men, who had disliked the broad-based democracy of the city-state for a long time, sought to establish an oligarchy of the elite. They believed that they could manage foreign, fiscal, and war policies better than the existing government.[1]
The movement toward oligarchy was led by a number of prominent and wealthy Athenians, who held positions of power in the Athenian army at Samos in coordination with Alcibiades.