Athens abused its leadership of the Dalian League, formed to protect against the Persian Empire invasion. When Persia agreed to peace, Athens turned the 180-city league into an empire of its own, continuing to collect the war contributions by force and spending the money on itself - the Parthenon etc, keeping half its own citizens on the public payroll, and maintaining a navy to enforce the annual money collection.
It also used this power to interfere in other Geek cities outside its empire, eventually trying to bankrupt its neighbour Megara in a spiteful dispute. Megara was a member of the Sparta-led Peloponnesian League and called for support. An over-confident Athens refused to back off and the devastating Peloponnesian War ensued for 27 yeas, Athens losing and stripped of its empire, becoming a second rate power.
It gave Athens too much power, making the other city-states resent it.
Because they thought it wasn't fair how they were treated.
The Peloponnesian League was formed by Sparta in the 6th century BCE as a coalition of city-states in the Peloponnese, initially to counter the influence of Athens and its expanding power. Members of the league resented Athens due to its imperialistic policies, particularly during the Delian League's dominance, which fostered a sense of inequality and exploitation among its allies. Athens's naval superiority and aggressive expansion often threatened the autonomy of other city-states, leading to rising tensions and ultimately the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War.
The Peloponnesian League was primarily made up of city-states in the Peloponnese, including Sparta, Corinth, and Megara, among others. Its members resented Athens due to its growing power and imperial ambitions, especially following the establishment of the Delian League, which Athens dominated. This resentment was fueled by Athens' aggressive expansion, heavy taxation on its allies, and perceived arrogance, leading to tensions that ultimately sparked the Peloponnesian War.
Athens and Sparta were the two most powerful city-states in ancient Rome.
Persian War.
The Delian League was formed under Athenian leadership to keep the city-states of Asia Minor and the Islands free of Persian rule. When peace was made with Persia, Athens kept the League going and collected the war funds each year, by force if necessary. Athens moved the treasury from Delos to Athens and happily spent them on beautifying the city, putting half its own citizens on the public payroll, and kept a strong fleet going to collect the funds from the cities. Pericles, a leader of Athens, admitted that Athens had converted the league to protect against the Persian Empire into an empire of its own.
The Spartans were stronger, but Athens had a better trained army... I think. The Spartans were the "Navy Seals" of the Greek states. Roughest and toughest soldiers by far. But Athens was the best naval power of Greece.
Athens abused its leadership of the Dalian League, formed to protect against the Persian Empire invasion. When Persia agreed to peace, Athens turned the 180-city league into an empire of its own, continuing to collect the war contributions by force and spending the money on itself - the Parthenon etc, keeping half its own citizens on the public payroll, and maintaining a navy to enforce the annual money collection. It also used this power to interfere in other Geek cities outside its empire, eventually trying to bankrupt its neighbour Megara in a spiteful dispute. Megara was a member of the Sparta-led Peloponnesian League and called for support. An over-confident Athens refused to back off and the devastating Peloponnesian War ensued for 27 yeas, Athens losing and stripped of its empire, becoming a second rate power.
Athens abused its leadership of the Dalian League, formed to protect against the Persian Empire invasion. When Persia agreed to peace, Athens turned the 180-city league into an empire of its own, continuing to collect the war contributions by force and spending the money on itself - the Parthenon etc, keeping half its own citizens on the public payroll, and maintaining a navy to enforce the annual money collection. It also used this power to interfere in other Geek cities outside its empire, eventually trying to bankrupt its neighbour Megara in a spiteful dispute. Megara was a member of the Sparta-led Peloponnesian League and called for support. An over-confident Athens refused to back off and the devastating Peloponnesian War ensued for 27 yeas, Athens losing and stripped of its empire, becoming a second rate power.
Athens abused its leadership of the Dalian League, formed to protect against the Persian Empire invasion. When Persia agreed to peace, Athens turned the 180-city league into an empire of its own, continuing to collect the war contributions by force and spending the money on itself - the Parthenon etc, keeping half its own citizens on the public payroll, and maintaining a navy to enforce the annual money collection. It also used this power to interfere in other Geek cities outside its empire, eventually trying to bankrupt its neighbour Megara in a spiteful dispute. Megara was a member of the Sparta-led Peloponnesian League and called for support. An over-confident Athens refused to back off and the devastating Peloponnesian War ensued for 27 yeas, Athens losing and stripped of its empire, becoming a second rate power.
Other Greek city-states teased Athens due to its growing power and influence, particularly after the Persian Wars, when Athens emerged as a dominant naval force and leader of the Delian League. This newfound strength led to tensions, as smaller city-states felt threatened by Athens' imperial ambitions and dominance over maritime trade. Additionally, Athens' democratic ideals and cultural achievements fueled envy and rivalry, prompting other city-states to mock its perceived arrogance and overreach. Such teasing reflected underlying fears and resentment toward Athenian hegemony in the region.