The Persian war still set the conditions for the Peloponnesian war because, after Sparta and Athens combined together as Greeks to defeat the Persians—who were the most powerful people in Asia at the time prior to the Persian war—they were unable to remain united since they still had differences in ethnic and cultural beliefs, and this ended up dividing the Greek empire after Athens formed the Delian League, and Sparta led the powerful Peloponnesian League. Athens’ ambitions and growing influence—which were present right from the beginning of the Persian war—and Sparta’s fear for Athens and its ambitions to rule Greece, eventually led to the Peloponnesian war.
Because Athens and Sparta, both powerful Greek city-states, had fought as allies in the Greco-Persian Wars between 499 and 449 B.C. In the wake of the Persian retreat, however, Athens grew more powerful and tensions rose, escalating into nearly three decades of war. Sparta emerged victorious, while the constant fighting left Athens bankrupt, exhausted and demoralized. Neither city-state regained the military strength they once had
