Although historians offer a panoply of possible reasons for the decline of Sparta, essentially its downfall was the result of one glaring fault. This fault, although it manifested in a number of disparate ways, could be summed up in one word: shortsightedness. This shortsightedness occurred in areas such as its attitudes, its failure to modify the rigid Lycurgan system, its tactical naivetT, its failure to adapt when opponents began hiring mercenary armies, its wrongdoing, its lack of diplomacy and cooperation with its own allies. Although Sparta had great military strength, it dissipated the effect of that strength by obtusely refusing to consider anything outside its narrow field of vision. It was like a bulldog on a single-minded mission, resolutely forging ahead as though no one else matteredùnot even its own allies. Ultimately, SpartaÆs incredible and overweaning shortsightedness caused it to lose its hegemony and become demoted from a world-class reigning military power to a much lesser power.
Sparta was the epitome of military strength in the 10th century B.C. and seemed invincible from all perspectives. The Spartan army was superlative, and it won battle after battle. However, Sparta did eventually decline, and the decline was due to a number of factors. One of these was its uncompromising attitudes. If Sparta were a person, it would be a perfectionistic, defensive personùmore introspective than extrovertùand determined to maintain military superiority at all costs. Rather than working with allies and partners to collaborate under a common purpose, Sparta would be a distrusting unilateralist, preferring not to ally with anyone that might someday challenge its primacy, therefore only allying with partners weaker than itself (Walker, 2001). That absence of cooperation did not gain Sparta many fans, and despite its military prowess, it could have used friends and allies.
Another cause of SpartaÆs downfall was...