What is Cleon?
'''Cleon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|l|iː|ɒ|n|,_|-|ə|n}}; {{lang-grc|Κλέων}} ''Kleon'', {{IPA-el|kléɔːn|anc}}; died 422 BCE) was an [[Athens|Athenian]] [[politician]] and [[strategos|general]] known for his support of the [[Peloponnesian War]]. The historian [[Thucydides]] writes that Cleon was a [[demagogue]] and that he once ordered the Athenians to massacre an entire city for rebelling against [[Athens]]. Cleon also dragged [[Aristophanes]] to court to [[prosecute]] him for his play The Babylonians. Aristophanes at the beginning of his next play The Acharnians said he would have [[revenge]] on Cleon. Aristophanes also wrote a [[comedy]] called The Knights to try and convince the people not to re-elect Cleon and another called The Wasps about Cleon being a [[populist]]. According to [[Aristotle]], Cleon was the first one who would shout down anyone who disagreed with him and accuse any and all opponents of being essentially traitors to ‘the people’ and who did everything he could to convince the people that the only way for them to have [[power]] was to let him do what he wanted even if it were against the [[Constitution]] (false and unsourceable). [[Category:422 BC deaths]] [[Category:Ancient Greek politicians]] [[Category:Ancient Greek generals]] [[Category:Year of birth unknown]]