The Thirty Tyrants: Athens's Brutal Oligarchic Coup

In 404 BCE, Athens surrendered to Sparta and its democracy was violently overthrown. A pro-Spartan oligarchy known as the Thirty Tyrants seized power, launching a reign of terror that executed 1,500 citizens and exiled thousands more. Lucas and Luna explore how this brutal regime came to power, who its leaders were—including Critias, an aristocratic intellectual and former student of Socrates—and how the democratic resistance led by Thrasybulus eventually restored Athenian democracy. They discuss the tyranny's bloody legacy, the amnesty that followed, and how this dark chapter shaped Athenian political thought. Drawing on Xenophon's Hellenica and Aristotle's Constitution of the Athenians, this episode uncovers a pivotal moment when Athens nearly lost its soul. #ThirtyTyrants #Critias #Thrasybulus #AthenianDemocracy #PeloponnesianWar #Sparta #Lysander #Piraeus #Phyle #Munychia #Xenophon #Aristotle #ConstitutionOfTheAthenians #Oligarchy #AncientGreece #FexingoHistory #History #GreekHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo