Athenian coup of 411 BC

Athenian coup
Part of Peloponnesian War
Date	June 9, 411 (411-06-09) BC
Location	Athens
Caused by	A fiscal crisis caused by the failure of the Sicilian Expedition
Goals	Replace the democracy with an oligarchy
Resulted in	Coup successful Alcibiades returns from exile Oligarchy replaces the democratic government of Athens
Parties
The Four Hundred Extremists Moderates Government of Athens
Lead figures
Alcibiades Theramenes Antiphon  Phrynichus X Thrasybulus Thrasyllus

The Athenian coup of 411 BC was the result of a revolution that took place during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. The coup overthrew the democratic government of ancient Athens and replaced it with a short-lived oligarchy known as the Four Hundred.

In the wake of the financial crisis caused by the failed Sicilian Expedition of the Athenian military in 413 BC, some high-status Athenian men, who had disliked the broad-based democracy of the city-state for a long time, sought to establish an oligarchy of the elite. They believed that they could manage foreign, fiscal, and war policies better than the existing government.^[1]

The movement toward oligarchy was led by a number of prominent and wealthy Athenians, who held positions of power in the Athenian army at Samos in coordination with Alcibiades.