Why did Athens become so aggressive with its neighbors following the Persian wars

Athens acquired superiority of all the Greek states than Sparta due to its strong naval base.

Explanation:

After the Persian wars, Athens emerged to be victorious and they started to rebuild the city of Acropolis. They used all the bronze in the weapons which were used in Persian war to make the statue of Athena. Sparta became jealous of the Athenian victory.

Spartans had lost much in the Persian war and the economy became unstable. Out of envy, Spartans also tried to attack Athens in order to gain power.