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The Persian Wars, of which the battles of Plataia and Mykale practically decided the issue, acquire their supreme importance as a struggle in which the spirit of voluntary obedience to law education of triumphed over the arbitrary rule of an irre- the Athenian sponsible despot. This triumph was won by the inhabitants of a number of cities, for which independence meant generally little more than suspicion and jealousy of all other cities, breaking out not unfrequently into open war; but it was insured, as Herodotos emphatically asserts, chiefly, if not wholly,.by the skill, wisdom, and energy of the,At.hej)iariS Circumstances had indeed long been combining to give to Athenian policy a character essentially different from the narrow and short-sighted exclusiveness which ruled absolutely elsewhere. Had it not been for the wider and more generous aims of her great general Themistokles, the enter- Table of Contents BC PAGE; Political education of the Athenian people i; The reforms of Kleisthenes 2; Character of Athenian citizenship 3; ^Relations of the Athenians to the Asiatic Greeks 4; Constitution of the Delian confederacy 4 Burdens and restraints imposed on the allies of Athens 6; Growth of democratic feeling in the confederacy 7; Athens and Sparta two distinct political centres 7; State of Athens after the Persian invasion 8; 479 Rebuilding of the walls of Athens 11; Fortification of the Peiraieus 11; Treason of the Spartan Pausanias, 12; 478 Recall of Pausanias to Sparta 14; 477 Death of Pausanias 15 Bearing of the case of Pausanias on that of Themis-; tokles »15; Oligarchic opposition to Themistokles 16; 471 Ostracism of Themistokles 17; Sequel of the traditional history of Themistokles 18 Extent of Persian power on the coasts of Asia Minor 19; 47? The assessment of Aristeides 19; Relations of Themistokles with the Persian king 20; Fixity of purpose in Themistolcles 20; Contrast between Pausanias and Themi