Describe the transition and methods used to turn a Delain League into an Athenian Empire

“The Delian League had long possessed the trappings of an empire, but at this point it clearly became an empire, or, to use the Greek term, an arche. In the official documents we even find a reference to the ‘Athenians and those over whom they rule’ The peace treaty with Sparta reflects this, too-it speaks not of a military alliance against Persia but two Greek power centres facing each other. Relations within the Delian league can be deduced from the speeches Thucydides included in his history and also from a number of inscriptions, including tribute lists and various treaties. In the speeches, what is most striking is the tyrannical power Athens exercised over its allies, something Pericles and other orators pointed at with pride. They assert that the foundations of this power were laid when Athens, at the request of its allies, assumed leadership in the war against Persia. The Athenians had kept the alliance alive for three reasons, the same three that motivate most powerful m...