What would an Athenian Federation look like?

I'm not trying to comment on the plausibility of the Athenian Empire federalizing in some way, but what would an Athenian federation/confederation look like if it we to happen?
 
Wikipedia has a satisfactory overview:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycia#Lycian_League

Basically, 23 cities in Lycia were combined into a League, each with 1-3 votes in their governing body. Admittedly, this was under Roman supervision, but the Romans seemed to be satisfied enough that they generally left the Lycians to their own devises.

So, basically, the important cities of the Delian League would get a comparably proportional vote in whatever federal league Athens might lead. Athens, by virtue of population, would likely still dominate such a league.
 
Wikipedia has a satisfactory overview:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycia#Lycian_League

Basically, 23 cities in Lycia were combined into a League, each with 1-3 votes in their governing body. Admittedly, this was under Roman supervision, but the Romans seemed to be satisfied enough that they generally left the Lycians to their own devises.

So, basically, the important cities of the Delian League would get a comparably proportional vote in whatever federal league Athens might lead. Athens, by virtue of population, would likely still dominate such a league.
Hmm, that's an interesting concept. Would something like what Athens had in Attica work on a Delian League scale?
 
The problem is with an Athenian federation the size of the Delian League is that the Delian League was constructed entirely as a means of Athenian imperial hegemony over the Aegean region, using the excuse of future liberation of Ionian Greeks as an casus belli for (at times forcefully) keeping various Greek city-states under their thumb. The Athenians had no desire to enter into equal partnerships with the other city states.
 
The problem is with an Athenian federation the size of the Delian League is that the Delian League was constructed entirely as a means of Athenian imperial hegemony over the Aegean region, using the excuse of future liberation of Ionian Greeks as an casus belli for (at times forcefully) keeping various Greek city-states under their thumb. The Athenians had no desire to enter into equal partnerships with the other city states.
Well federation can mean a lot of things to be fair.

I mean, there's the Russian Federation, and the Mari Republic aren't going to be running things any time soon.
 
The problem is with an Athenian federation the size of the Delian League is that the Delian League was constructed entirely as a means of Athenian imperial hegemony over the Aegean region, using the excuse of future liberation of Ionian Greeks as an casus belli for (at times forcefully) keeping various Greek city-states under their thumb. The Athenians had no desire to enter into equal partnerships with the other city states.
This doesn't have to exactly happen during the Delian League. The Athenians showed later on they were willing to learn from the mistakes of their heavy-handedness. The Athenian Confederacy created in the 370s had these terms:


  • All states involved were to have autonomy
  • Athens was not permitted to own land in any of the member states
  • Athens was not to inflict a garrison or cleruchy on any members
  • Each member state was allowed to choose their own constitution, which did not have to be a democracy
Of course, the Athenians did not completely abide by these terms, and so suffered with the Social War in the 350s, but the point is, the Athenians were able to learn. In a timeline where there is a Third Athenian Empire (i.e. mine, which is what I posed this question for. I should have mentioned that in the OP), it's not inconceivable they could make more concessions and go a little bit further, while still maintaining Athenian hegemony over the league.
 
I think the issues will resurface anyway.

How many federation of the pre-railway era really held out with a single dominant but not domineering power?

Rome dominated the Italian allies, Venice ruled its terra firma, Holland commanded the Dutch (and to an extent, Amsterdam ruled Holland), and so on. Not necessarily by design, but by sheer ability to wield power.

The issue with an Athenian federation, IMO, is not Athens being too powerful. It's Athens being too weak, and unable to make its rule stick, so the whole thing remains unstable. Alternatively, it's the federation being too large/dispersed, so there's too much chance for locals to spin off (unlike with the Roman-era Greek federations, which seem to have been far more localised; Sparta could dominate the Peloponnesos, and Athens Attica/Euboia, but spreading the leagues to Sicily and the Aegean is gonna be a problem).
 
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