There has been, and continues to be, a great debate among historians about the precise causes of the Great Peloponnesian War. The classical source of Thucydides provides excellent direct insight into the causes of the war, as does that of Kagan and St. Croix, the modern historians. Various long-term factors, including the growth of Athenian power, the Thirty-Year Peace Treaty, and the selfish attitudes of the city-states, gave weight to the possibility of war. Other short-term events occurred such as the Epidamnus Civil War, the Battle of Sybota, the Potidaea Revolt, and the Megara Decree, which caused the triggers that triggered this great war. For many years in the Greek world, before the outbreak of the war, the growth of Athenian power had been increasing. Athens had control of the largest naval fleet of the Greek states and had many allies in the region. Significant rifts had begun to arise between Athens and Sparta around 460 BC and Thucydides argues that "the growth of Athenian power and the fear this caused in Sparta" had in fact created what is believed to be one of the central elements of this war. This fear of Sparta is considered by Thucydides and Kagan as one of the major underlying factors upsetting the balance of peace in the region. This fear and tension gave way to the final outbreak of a war following many short-term events that triggered unnecessary and preventable conflicts with a calm nature. The mentality of many Greek states of the time also provided reasons for inciting violence and the outbreak of war. Both Holy Cross and Thucydides argue that many of Sparta's allies, namely Corinth and Megara, wished to go to war with Athens due to the fearful nature of their power, and in some cases due to the harsh... of paper.. ....and hostility and the causes of possible war. However, historians will continue to debate the level of influence that particular factors and events had on the final conclusion of the war, due to the complex nature of the alliances and aggressive mentality present in the Greek world. Works Cited Encyclopedia of Ancient History. 2014. Peloponnesian War - Encyclopedia of Ancient History. Available at: http://www.ancient.eu.com/Peloponnesian_War/. [Accessed: 05/20/14]Battles of ancient Greece. 2011. Potidea Revolt. Available at: http://www.ancientgreekbattles.net/Pages/43250_RevoltOfPotidaea.htm. [Accessed: 23/05/14]Kagan, D 1996, The outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, Cornell University Press, LondonSte. Croix, GEM d, 2001, The Origins of the Peloponnesian War, Duckworth Publishers, London Thucydides 432 BC, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. R Warner, Penguin, London