After peace was made with Persia in 449 BCE, he removed the Delian League treasury from Delos to Athens. There it was pillaged to glorify Athens - building the Parthenon etc, to put half of Athenians on the public payroll, and to maintain the Athenian fleet, which with the Persian threat gone, was used to extort annually more money from the League cities.
Was a coalition of city-states led by the Athenian Pericles .
Yes, I think Pericles probably embezzled four or five times more money than Madoff stole. Where did he steal the money from? From the Delian League's treasury, which was moved to Athens from Delos immediately when Pericles was entitled "general." Pericles built the Acropolis in Athens with this money, was tried for stealing the money, and talked his way out of the trial.
Pericles led the coalition of city-states known as the Delian League .
Stealing the funds to pay for it from the Delian League war chest.
He persuaded it to convert the anti-Persian Delian League into an empire of its own.
To provide ships and money
Delian League was the Athenian alliance, founded after the Persian Wars as a military organization directed against the Achaemenid Empire, but converted by Pericles into an Athenian empire. Because of this unity, it was very strong.
Pericles was justified in using the Delian League's funds to rebuild Athens as it aimed to restore the city after the devastation of the Persian Wars, promoting collective security and unity among the Greek city-states. The reconstruction, including the Parthenon, symbolized Athenian democracy and culture, enhancing the League's prestige. However, this action also sparked resentment among other member states, as they viewed the funds as being diverted for Athenian self-interest rather than mutual defense. Ultimately, while Pericles' intentions were to strengthen Athens and the League, the decision led to tensions and conflicts within the alliance.
Athens ruled the Delian League.
Wars of the Delian League happened in -449.
His establish of Athenian dominance of 180 Greek city-states after the Persian War, converting the Delian League into an empire of Athens, thereby giving it the money and military strength to spend on a superior navy and on Athens' welfare state.
When the Persians left Greece, Pericles was still a youth, so the rebuilding task fell to others.