BOOK 5 Chapter 3 The triggers of factional conflict

Chapter 3

I. Overview: Key Causes of Factional Conflict

1. Arrogance and Profit as Causes of Conflict:
   • Arrogance: When officials behave arrogantly and seek to aggrandize themselves, it incites factional conflict, both among individuals and against the regime.
   • Profit: Aggrandizement can occur at the expense of private individuals or public funds, fueling resentment and conflict.
2. Honor as a Cause of Conflict:
   • People engage in conflict over honor both when they are dishonored and when they see others unjustly honored.
   • Justice and Merit: Conflicts arise when people feel that honor or dishonor does not correspond to their merit, creating justifiable or unjustifiable conflicts depending on the situation.

II. Preeminence and Factional Conflict

1. Conflict Due to Preeminence:
   • Factional conflict arises when one or more individuals gain excessive power, which exceeds what is suitable for the city or governing body.
   • Monarchy and Rule of the Powerful: Such individuals may establish a monarchy or a regime dominated by a few.
2. Ostracism as a Solution:
   • Some cities, like Argos and Athens, use ostracism to prevent individuals from becoming too powerful.
   • Aristotle suggests that it is better to prevent the rise of preeminent figures from the beginning than to deal with them after they have gained excessive influence.

III. Fear and Factional Conflict

1. Fear as a Cause of Conflict:
   • People engage in conflict when they fear being punished for injustices they have committed or wish to prevent future injustices.
   • Example of Rhodes: Notables at Rhodes banded together against the people due to lawsuits being brought against them.

IV. Contempt as a Cause of Conflict

1. Contempt in Oligarchies:
   • In oligarchies, when a majority of the population is excluded from governance, they develop contempt for the ruling few.
2. Contempt in Democracies:
   • In democracies, the wealthy may grow contemptuous of the perceived disorder and anarchy of the democratic system.
   • Historical Examples:
     • Thebes: The democracy collapsed due to poor governance following the Battle of Oenophyta.
     • Megara: Disorder and anarchy led to regime change after a defeat.
     • Syracuse: Before Gelo’s tyranny, contempt for the disorder led to conflict.

V. Disproportionate Growth of a Part

1. Imbalance in Growth:
   • A city, like a body, is composed of different parts, and these parts must grow in proportion to each other. Disproportionate growth causes instability.
   • Metaphor: Just as a body with a four-yard-long foot and a two-foot-tall torso would be deformed, so too is a city destabilized by imbalanced growth.
2. Example of Tarentum:
   • At Tarentum, a democracy arose when many notables were killed by the Iapygians, leaving the regime weakened and unable to maintain oligarchic rule.
3. Other Historical Examples:
   • At Argos, the regime changed when Cleomenes of Sparta killed many of the ruling class, forcing the inclusion of former subjects in the regime.
   • At Athens, the number of notables dwindled after a disastrous war with Sparta, leading to regime change.

VI. Revolutions Through Wealth and Democracy

1. Oligarchies and Wealth:
   • Wealth accumulation among a few leads to oligarchies, while increases in the number of wealthy individuals within a democracy can result in a shift toward oligarchy.
2. Democracies:
   • Although democracy is less prone to such shifts, it is not immune. An increase in the wealthy class or property values can destabilize a democracy and push it toward oligarchy.

VII. Regime Changes Without Factional Conflict

1. Electioneering:
   • Regimes can also change through electioneering, when individuals manipulate elections to secure office.
   • Example of Heraea: Officials were chosen by lot rather than by election to avoid the influence of electioneering.
2. Underestimation:
   • When a regime allows opponents to gain positions of power through neglect or underestimation, revolutions may occur.
   • Example of Oreus: The oligarchy was overthrown when Heracleodorus became an official and transformed the government into a democracy.

VIII. Small Differences Leading to Large Shifts

1. Neglect of Small Changes:
   • Small shifts in political practices, when left unchecked, can lead to significant changes.
   • Example of Ambracia: A small tax assessment eventually disappeared, leading to the assumption that holding office without any assessment was acceptable, which weakened the political system.

IX. Dissimilarity of Stock as a Source of Conflict

1. Settler Conflict:
   • Factional conflict often arises when different groups of settlers or immigrants are incorporated into a city, as they do not share a common identity or history.
2. Historical Examples:
   • Sybaris: The Achaeans, after outnumbering the Troezenians, expelled them, which led to a curse.
   • Thurii: The original Sybarite settlers were expelled by later settlers due to conflicts over land ownership.
   • Syracuse: The admission of foreigners and mercenaries led to conflict after the period of the tyrants.
   • Amphipolis: Settlers from Chalcidice eventually expelled most of the original inhabitants.

X. Conflicts Based on Perceived Injustice in Different Regimes

1. Oligarchies:
   • In oligarchies, the majority of the population feels they are being unjustly treated because they do not receive equal political rights despite being equal in other respects.
2. Democracies:
   • In democracies, the wealthy feel injustice because they share equal political rights with the poorer majority, despite considering themselves superior due to their wealth or status.

XI. Geographic Location as a Cause of Factional Conflict

1. Location and Factionalism:
   • Some cities are prone to factionalism due to geographic divisions within their territory.
   • Examples:
     • Clazomenae: The inhabitants of Chytrus engaged in conflict with those living on the island.
     • Athens: A divide existed between the more democratic population living in the port city of Peiraeus and the wealthier, more conservative population in the town center.
2. War Metaphor:
   • Aristotle compares these divisions to small ditches in battle: even minor differences in a city can split its ranks and lead to significant conflict.

XII. Greatest Sources of Factional Conflict

1. Virtue and Depravity:
   • The most significant source of conflict is the divide between virtue and depravity.
2. Wealth and Poverty:
   • Another major cause of conflict is the divide between the wealthy and the poor, which manifests in oligarchies and democracies alike.

Conclusion: The Complex Causes of Political Revolutions

Aristotle’s analysis in Chapter 3 of Politics identifies numerous causes of factional conflict and political instability, ranging from arrogance, profit, and honor, to fear, contempt, and preeminence. He emphasizes that both personal ambitions and structural imbalances within cities contribute to revolutions. The chapter explores how these factors manifest in different regime types and historical examples, highlighting the importance of preventive measures and balanced growth to maintain political stability.

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