What was the significance of the overall Greek victory over the Persians

The immediate effect was to free the Greek city-states that werepart of the Persian Empire, in Ionia (what is today the coast ofTurkey). Released from the Persian threat, Athens rebuilt theircity, which the Persians destroyed, and began a period ofprosperity that encouraged the Golden Age of Philosophy and theArts. Examples of its architecture, sculpture, and drama stand asmonuments of artistic achievement to this day. Eventually, Athensmisused its position of power as the treasurer of the Delian Leaguethat safeguarded the seas from Persian intrusion, and began actingas an imperial power itself, bringing it into conflict with Sparta,precipitating the Peloponnesian War when Sparta felt its hegemonythreatened.

Another View:

After seeing off the Persian threat, the cities were able to returnto their habitual shifting alliancces and disputes. The diffrencethis time was that Athens had organised an anti-Persian defensiveleague to ensure the cities of Asia Minor and the Islands were freefrom the Persian threat. When peace was finally formalised after449 BCE Athens shifted this Delian League treasury from the islandof Delos to Athens and then began to spend it on itself, buildingthe Parthenon etc and putting nearly half its population on thepublic payroll, and paying for its fleet to continue collectingLeague contributions by force if necessary.

This League therefore became effectively an empire of Athens, andAthens was thus enabled to use its power to intervene in othercities’ affairs outside its empire. Sparta was prevailed on to leada Peloponnesian League as a counter (most were Dorian cities inpeninsular Greece – the Peloponnese). So the threat of Persia wasreplaced with threat of war between two powerful internal Greekcoalitions, which came devastatingly into play with outbreak of thePeloponnesian War in 431 BCE. Paradoxically, this war was decidedagainst Athens after 27 years by the late intervention of Persia onthe side of the Peloponnesians.