What makes an army grow large, bond together, and win an important battle in war? In ancient times, the Greek people and their culture were threatened by the Persian Empire which sought to conquer the Western world. If the Greeks had lost the Persian Wars, their way of life and the foundations of future Western civilizations would have been lost. The Battle of Salamis was a combination of leadership, technology, and strategy that gave the Greeks an advantage over their Persian opponents, thus sparking the beginning of Greece's victory. The leadership of the city-states as well as the individual leadership that united the Greeks into a fighting force that fought for a common cause. One of the main leaders throughout the war was Themistocles, an Athenian politician who was a born leader and would lead the Greeks to victory. Before the Battle of Salamis, many Greek generals wanted to leave the region, believing that the narrow passage leading to Salamis was not worth defending; however, Themistocles used his talent as a public speaker to hold back the Greeks in Salamis, saying: “If these men move away from Salamis, you will have no fight at all for the one homeland; for they will all disperse to their own houses; and neither Eurybiades nor anyone else will be able to prevent them, nor prevent the dismantling of an armament. fighting force that would remain in Salamis to fight the powerful Persian army. Although having a valiant leader was an important part of Greek leadership, the Athenians provided their leadership in the form of a naval force, providing the Greek navy with a vast...... middle of paper ..... .. New York: L. MacVeagh, 1928. Print.5) Strauss, Barry S.. The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter That Saved Greece and Western Civilization. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print.1) Gabriel, Richard A. "What We Learned...From the Battle of Salamis." Military history Oct.-Nov. 2009: 16. Academic OneFile. Internet. November 28, 2011.2) Allen, Charlotte. "Victory at sea; how the Greeks kept the Persians at bay." The Weekly Standard, December 12, 2005. Academic OneFile. Internet. November 28, 2011.3) Raham, AJ “Speech of Themistocles before Salamis: the interpretation of Herodotus 8.83.1. » The Classical Quarterly 46.2 (1996): 321+. General OneFile. Internet. November 28, 2011.4) “Salamis, 480 BCE” Gale Encyclopedia of World History: War. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Canada in Context. Internet. November 28. 2011.