Spartan

Great question — and the answer is nuanced. Here’s the breakdown:

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Did the Spartans defend Greek democracy against the Persians?

Short answer:

✅ They helped defend Greece against Persian invasion, but

❌ Not to defend democracy.

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Context

🛡 The Persian Wars (499–449 BCE)

• Two major Persian invasions of Greece:
  
• First (490 BCE) – Ended at Marathon (mainly an Athenian victory).
• Second (480–479 BCE) – Led by Xerxes, with famous battles like:
  
• Thermopylae – Spartans led by King Leonidas made a heroic stand.
• Salamis – Athenian-led naval victory.
• Plataea – Spartans and Athenians cooperated to defeat Persians on land.
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🏛 Political Context

• Athens: A democracy (developing under leaders like Cleisthenes and Pericles).
• Sparta: A military oligarchy (ruled by a small elite with two kings and a council).
• The two had very different ideologies:
  
• Sparta distrusted democracy.
• Athens championed it, at least for male citizens.
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⚖️ Motivation of the Spartans

• Spartans fought the Persians to:
  
• Defend Greek independence, especially from foreign control.
• Protect their Peloponnesian dominance.
• Preserve their oligarchic system, not to support democracy.
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• They were allies of Athens during the Persian Wars, but rivals afterward (leading to the Peloponnesian War).

✅ So did they defend Greek democracy?

• Indirectly, yes — by helping prevent a Persian conquest.
• Directly, no — they were not fighting for democratic ideals, and in fact often opposed democracy (especially Athenian-style).

Would you like a side-by-side comparison of Athens and Sparta or more on their rivalry after the Persian Wars?