The Impact of the Persian Wars and the build up to the Peloponnesian War
1. Athens emerged as the most powerful city-state.
2. Athens organized the Delian League, an alliance with
150 Greek city-states and colonies in the Aegean region.
3. Athens used the Delian League to create an Athenian empire.
4. With Pericles as its leader, Athens enters into its Golden
Age! But who was paying bill?
5. Sparta will eventually form an opposing alliance with the neutral city-states

Many Greeks resented the Athenian domination.
The Greek world split into rival camps.
To counter the Delian League, Sparta and other enemies of
Athens formed the Peloponnesian League.
Sparta encouraged an Oligarchy (government run by business) in the states of the Peloponnesian League, and Athens supported democracy.
A 27 year war broke out in 431 B.C. engulfing all of Greece

• Athens abusing funds from
Delian League
• 27 year war ensues
• Enthusiasm for the war high on both sides
• Pericles brings all the people into the city
• He depends on the navy, high walls and food supplies to string out the war

"long wall" strategy of Pericles

• However a plague hits and nothing can stop the disease…morale is low..
• Plague destroys 1/3 of Athenian population
• Most believe it was typhus: high fever and rash
• Plague sweeps through a total of
3 times during the war
• Generals are dead, Pericles is dead, no leadership

• Sparta builds a blockade around the walls…
• No supplies or food from the countryside
• Athens surrenders!
• All the Greek city- states divided and chaos!

Cycle of Warfare
After victory, Sparta’s army tried to act as Greece’s dominant power
• Sparta’s wealth, resources badly strained, power worn down
• Spartans could not keep control of Greece
• City-state of Thebes defeated Sparta, could not maintain control either
• Struggle for power led to long cycle of warfare that left all Greece vulnerable to attack
• 340s BC, Macedonia, Greek-speaking kingdom to north, swept in, took control of all Greece

• FEAR!!
• Athens's fear of the Peloponnesian Leagues
Army
• Sparta’s fear of Athenian trade power