BORIS JOHNSON, ANCIENT GREECE AND PERICLES
SHREY CHANDARANA (L6B)
On Friday 9th June 2023, Boris Johnson officially stepped down as an MP, following the conclusion of an investigation into the ‘Partygate’ scandal that he had been involved in during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. This has once again allowed for a period of reflection on his tumultuous time as Prime Minister, starting with so much hope and a large majority for the leader who was finally able to ‘get Brexit done,’ and ending with a mass resignation that was spearheaded by two leading Conservative MPs, Rishi Sunak and Sajid David. One key reflection that many have taken is to look back at the start of his tenure, when it was widely reported that the former Athenian leader, Pericles, was his hero and inspiration, who Johnson was well versed in due to his time studying Classics at Oxford University. But, when we look back at the entirety of the time that he was in office, could he perhaps be more in tune with one of the other Greek leaders in the 5th century BC?
Before I begin, I must warn you that the sources that we will base our investigation on are notorious for embellishing the truth and containing positive Athenian imagery. The main sources, Herodotus and Thucydides, both wrote in Athens at a time when they were pitted against Sparta in the Peloponnesian War, so they contain plenty of pro-Athenian imagery. We’ll also use other written sources, such as Plutarch, which were written centuries after the events they discuss. Although I’ll try to take these sources with the pinch of salt that they require, you must bear in mind that the only information we have will be biased towards the Greek leaders. We’ll mainly look at Athenian leaders, as Pericles himself was Athenian, however, we will introduce some Spartan leaders from the Persian wars, where the majority of Greeks fought as one body, the Hellenic League. I also won’t give you a conclusion at the end of the piece; it’s up to you to use the examples and explanation to come to your own decision on which Athenian leader(s) are most similar to Boris Johnson.
Let us first consider Pericles, the man who sat as a statue on Boris Johnson’s desk. Pericles was a prominent Athenian figure by 460 BC, involved in various Athenian battles against Peloponnesian (the Spartan league) cities. Relatively popular, he had a positive start in his leadership career, much like Boris Johnson, who won 56% of seats in the 2019 Election (sometimes seen as a ‘landslide majority’), and quickly achieved one of the main policies on his manifesto, to ‘Get Brexit Done.’ He was, however, seen as one of the main causes of the start of the Peloponnesian war, which started after Corinth made several complaints to Sparta about their behaviour. One of these was the fact that Athens had refused to revoke the Megarian Decree, which meant that they were excluded from the Athenian ports and markets (Thucydides 1.67). Thucydides argued that, had this been revoked, the Athenians could have avoided the war, but that Pericles was opposed to doing so (1.140). Plutarch not only corroborates this story but also says that Pericles was trying to divert attention from his friend and sculptor, Phidias, who was being tried for embezzlement, and his mistress, Aspasia, who was pimping prostitutes. Although the truthfulness of this source can be questioned, there are plenty of examples of Boris Johnson attempting to divert attention from himself, such as the original distance he put between himself and the Chris Pincher scandal (where Pincher was accused of groping two men), before it was discovered that Johnson did indeed know about these events. This was the final event in his time as Prime Minister. Eventually, after the Archidamian War began in 431 BC, Pericles’ policies, which avoided fighting within Athens, were somewhat negatively received (Thucydides 2.65), although his eventual death and a change in this policy probably led to trouble for Athens, as I’ll discuss later on. Although Johnson never fought a direct war, his response to the COVID-19 pandemic could be seen as Periclean towards the beginning. The UK’s third Coronavirus death was reported on 9th March 2020, whilst the first lockdown began on 24th March 2020. This was one of the longest gaps in Europe, compared to other countries, such as Spain, who called their lockdown just 10 days after their third death. Of course, this does show that the UK’s effort against the COVID-19 Pandemic became more aggressive and therefore less Periclean. Therefore, it’s clear that Boris Johnson is not entirely Periclean, so perhaps he could be related to one of the other key Greek leaders during the 5th century BC.
The next leader is the Spartan king, Leonidas, who obviously isn’t Athenian. However, his time as king came during the Persian wars, when 30 Greek states, including the Spartans and the Athenians, united to defeat the common threats (Herodotus 7.145). Leonidas’ key event was the battle of Thermopylae, from 480 BC. The Greeks decided to meet the Persians at Thermopylae following the Thessalonians joining the Persians, meaning that the Greeks had lost 10,000 men. The key part of this battle is the final day, where, despite dismissing 7,000 men, Leonidas remained to fight alongside 700 Thespians and 400 Thebans. Outnumbered by the huge number of Persians that were involved in this battle, the Greeks lost, whilst Leonidas was captured and beheaded, but his noble decision to fight with the Greeks is the main characteristic that we can compare with Boris Johnson, due to the support that Johnson (and his government) gave to Ukraine during their war with Russia. Whilst he was never going to directly assist the fighting due to the consequences this would have for the UK (and probably the world), we can very much praise the £2.3b that the UK gave to Ukraine in the name of military support. This was the second-highest amount in the world, only beaten by the United States. And this doesn’t consider the more indirect assistance that the United Kingdom gave to Ukraine, such as economic sanctions on Russia, which some readers may have felt the effects of due to them affecting Chelsea Football Club and their former owner Roman Abramovich. Of course, on the other hand, you may want to consider Boris Johnson’s behaviour during the COVID-19 Pandemic, where he didn’t show the nobility that Leonidas exhibited, considering the ‘Partygate’ scandal. Therefore, although Johnson was very much involved in the Ukraine war effort, in a similar manner to Leonidas, his actions during the pandemic can take away from the implications of the former action.
The next leader to look at was also prominent during the Persian wars. His name was Themistocles, and his importance was immediately made clear through the creation of the Athenian navy (Herodotus 7.138), which was the key basis for the creation of the Athenian empire. Although, from an Athenian perspective, he would’ve been seen as a strong leader who fought for his country, he can also be considered to be somewhat manipulative. When the Hellenic League’s ships were moored on the coast of Salamis, following the battle at Thermopylae, the decision arose regarding whether to remain fighting or to move back to the Peloponnese. Themistocles was in favour of the former, but when he was rebuffed by Adiementanus, from Corinth, his opinion changed to a demand, threatening to withdraw the Athenian ships (Herodotus 8.56-63). This is a clear example of how Themistocles forced the rest of the Greek’s hands, and there are numerous other examples of this happening, across his time in charge. Therefore, we can draw a comparison between Themistocle, and Boris Johnson’s attempts to achieve a no-deal Brexit before the 2019 General Election, where, after being faced with opposition from numerous Conservative MPs, Johnson took action and expelled 21 of them, including the then-longest serving MP, Ken Clarke. We can also draw a comparison between the end of both Themistocles and Johnson’s reign, with the former being ostracized from Athens (Thucydides 1.135) due to having been a threat to the state. After ten years in exile, the once-populist leader lost his touch (and supporters). In a similar vein, Boris Johnson’s resignation was a necessity after a mass resignation of more than 50 Conservative MPs. Therefore, many comparisons can be drawn between these two particular leaders, so you may decide that Themistocles is a better fit than Pericles for the comparison.
One of the key Athenian leaders after Themistocles was Aristeides, and the origins of his reign are very similar to those of Boris Johnson’s. Aristeides rose to prominence in 478 BC. The Greeks, including the Athenian and the Spartans, were led by Pausanias, a Spartan on an expedition to Byzantium, where victory was secured (Thucydides 1.94-95). However, Pausanias’ treatment of the Greeks, minus the Spartans, was harsh, leading one group, the Ionians, to seek leadership from the Athenians. The league was led by Aristeides, and then Cimon, both of whom were aristocratic Greeks known for their kind treatment (Plutarch, Life of Aristeides 23). This leads to the formation of the Delian League, and then the Athenian Empire, meaning that this episode is extremely important in terms of the chronology of the Peloponnesian Wars. However, the way that Aristeides is offered power is very similar to the way that Boris Johnson gains it. With a mass population (for Aristeides, it was the fighting Greeks - except the Spartans -, and for Johnson, it was the population of the UK), angry or disgruntled at an event or a person (for Artisteides, it was Pausanias’ actions, and for Johnson, it was Brexit), then going on to find solace in another leader who can alleviate the problem. One key way that Johnson appealed to some voters in the 2019 General Election was through his focus on getting Brexit done, and this is thought to be, by some critics, one of the reasons why he won his majority in the House of Commons, and solidified his power as Prime Minister. Therefore, this example could be the reason why Aristeides may be the most suitable ancient leader to compare with Boris Johnson.
The final leader who I will consider in this article is Cleon. Largely the antithesis of Pericles, who we have already looked at, Cleon’s reign began shortly after Pericles’ death, with the Peloponnesian War well underway. Many Athenians were unhappy with Pericles’ defensive strategy, so naturally, with the Athenians not necessarily making any progress towards defeating the Peloponnesian League, they largely took on a more offensive role. In addition, Cleon is also described as somewhat of a rabble-rouser, when he encouraged the Athenian assembly to ask for better terms after the Spartans called for an armistice (Thucydides 4.19-20). He also put his job on the line shortly after this offer of peace was removed, saying that he could retake the island of Sphacteria within 20 days, which he did indeed do. In a similar manner to Pericles, Cleon is therefore seen as a more populist leader, but his more offensive approach can probably be better related to Boris Johnson, considering the relatively delayed approach that the UK had to introducing lockdowns, especially in the second wave. Whilst arrogance is a more subjective trait to attempt to diagnose, you may feel that this is another trait that Johnson has exhibited in his role as Prime Minister. Cleon is therefore another popular choice for the ancient leader who can best be compared to Boris Johnson, and you may decide to follow this train of thought in your final judgement.
As I said at the start of the article, I am refraining from giving my point of view on the question, allowing you, the reader, to decide on which of these leaders you think you can best relate to Boris Johnson, judging how the characteristics of each leader can be applied to Johnson, both through examples that I’ve given and others that you may know of so that you can decide whether Johnson adopting Pericles as his inspiration truly paid off.