Fellow Athenians, our Nation currently stands at a perilous crossroads. The unity and solidarity of our nation is at great risk. We can either choose to allow the misguided deeds of the Thirty Tyrants to tear us apart as a Nation or we can learn a valuable lesson from their actions and come together to build a stronger more independent Athens. Between the war and the murderous rampage of the Thirty Tyrants, has not enough blood been shed? Have we all not suffered as a result of the Thirty? It is time to move on. We cannot be a just and rightful nation while seeking revenge under the guise of justice. I recommend that we immediately pass the Reconciliation Agreement and grant amnesty for the supporters of the Thirty.
For over a year, the people of Athens have suffered through the unjust tyranny of the Thirty. The Thirty were appointed to manage the affairs of people of the State. Initially, the Athenians welcomed their efforts and they began to establish a functioning government, reform laws, and eliminate undesirables. That soon gave way to disagreements within the group that resulted in the Thirty becoming a fractured group. This fracture in the group led to the Thirty abusing their power. The Thirty began condemning men who were opposed to peace with Sparta. The Thirty declared that they must purge “the polis of unjust men and the rest of the citizens inclined against virtue and injustice” (Planeaux, 2015). They divided the nation into groups of the included and excluded. The excluded were forced to relocate to other areas and their property was confiscated. If we choose to pursue and prosecute the supporters of the Thirty instead of passing the Reconciliation Agreement, we run the risk of repeating history and their atrocities.
As a nation, we would be misguided to try and continue the practices initiated by the Thirty. Excluding and murdering our brothers is not what we would call justice. Theramenes, an origina...