Alexander The Great

1. Alexander prefers a reckless life, therefore leading him to make poor decisions for him and his country. Alexander had the need for nonstop warfare, was reckless with war and money, was power hungry, and didn’t take the responsibility to be a good leader to his people. These points prove that Alexander doesn’t deserve to have the honor of being called great.

One of Alexander’s worst qualities was his desire for constant warfare. Alexander won numerous wars, but that doesn’t mean he was a good commander.  A great example is the Abortive War of Agis III of 331. All of Alexander’s soldiers were dying during this war. Instead of trying to help his soldiers and surrender, he recruited soldiers from other countries until he secured a victory. This shows that Alexander only cared about winning the wars, and not about how he was losing an enormous amount of soldiers in the process.

Another bad trait that Alexander had, was that he was very reckless and didn’t think about the consequences of his actions. Alexander did not adjust to other cultures well, and as a result he made some poor decisions. At the second mutiny at Opis, Alexander killed people that were close to him, threatned Macedonians and replaced them if they didn’t do what he wanted. Alexander did this multiple times, just so he could conquer territories. If you were a Macedonian would you want Alexander as your leader?

Not only was Alexander reckless in war, but he was also reckless with money. Alexander relied on money to solve his problems. He used money to win fights in foreign countries and to win his victories in Issus and Granicus. He also had luck on his side, but if he wasn’t as wealthy, then he wouldn’t have done as well in life. Alexander was also a paranoid alcholic, which is one of the reasons why he was so careless towards his soldiers and why he threw his money everywhere.

A good portion of Alexander’s accomplishments were made possible by his father, Phillip of Macedon. Alexander might have conquered the Persian Empire, Egypt, and founded Alexandria, but the problem is that he was power hungry and never knew when to stop fighting. One day Alexander had the need for a great expedition, so he set out for Bessus. When he got there he got Barsaentes and Satibarzanes (his companions) to stab Darius (king of Persia) and leave him dying. “It was Alexander’s one piece of mere good fortune; he was saved the embarrassment of dealing with his rival.” (Tarn 58) This shows that Alexander was a coward and wasn’t brave enough to face Darius.

“The idea of leadership affirms the capacity of individuals to move, inspire and mobilize masses of people so that they act together in pursuit of an end.” (Schlesinger 7) The quote above says that as a leader you should inspire your individuals so they can act together, but that is not what Alexander did.  Alexander controlled all of his soldiers, which is what a leader is supposed to do, but instead of making sure his people respected him, all he cared about was winning the war even if it meant losing thousands of soldiers. He didn’t give his people a say. He just did whatever he could in order to win, even if that meant losing half of his soldiers.

Alexander’s decision to have constant warfare, to be reckless, power hungry, and not care for his people shows that he is not worthy of being called great. Alexander might have had several valuable leadership attributes throughout his life, but overall his repulsive decisions outweight the favorable ones.

2. If you think something is great one day does that mean you’ll think it’s great for the rest of your life? Many Americans thought that Abraham Lincoln was a horrible president and a complete fool. When Lincoln ran for president he only won 39.8% of the popular vote. He was looked down upon for being humble, his lack of education, his awkward apperance, and his high voice. The Southerners didn’t like him because he changed their way of life, and the Northerner’s were not fond of him because he had a slow start at the presidency. People also hated his speeches. One of his speeches “The Gettysburg Address" was hated by many, and Americans were ashamed when he read it. Now people admire Abraham Lincoln and look up to him. Lincoln did some spectacular things as president that weren’t considered great, but are now. Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation that gave the idea that slaves should be freed. Lincoln was the first major leader in the U.S. to believe women should have equal rights as men. People also loved Abe because he fought for equality for all people and was one of the most forgiving people. The Gettysburg Address is now known as one of the greatest speeches of all time and is memorized by school children across the nation. People might have not thought that Abraham Lincoln was a great person when he was president, but now people see him as a role model and study his greatness. This shows that you can learn a variety of things about the values of society based on your views of greatness.

3. Both time and distance can change your perception of a person overtime.

Adolf Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany. He was a very powerful leader, and  initiated World War II, the Holocaust, and many other wars. Many people in Germany thought Hitler was a great leader and they glorified him. Hitler believed that Germany should fight wars for vast tracts of land to enable its people to settle on them, and raise large families that would replace casualties of war and  provide soldiers for the future. Hitler believed in resolving problems through warfare and was viewed as aggressive. Hitler was a great leader for Germany at the time, but now people view him as a war-crazed person that killed people for harsh reasons. This helped other leaders realize that they shouldn’t be as power hungry and that they should resolve issues in a more peaceful manner. Distance and time definitely impact how we view each other. The only way to know how great a person is, is to really know them. You can be great to one person and awful to another, because of perception. If you have not actually met the person, then your knowledge is based on what you have heard. Therefore you might judge them based on what you heard because you have not been able to meet them and know them. This shows that time and distance do impact someone’s popular perception. 

Works Cited

"Alexander the Great." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. <http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great>.

"Alexander the Great." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.ushistory.org/civ/5g.asp>.

Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-the-great-9180468#campaigns-and-conquests>.

Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/adolf-hitler-9340144>.

"How "Great" Was Alexander? [P.1]." How "Great" Was Alexander? [P.1]. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.utexas.edu/courses/citylife/readings/great1.html>.

Jr. Schlesinger, Arthur Meier. Alexander The Great (world Leaders past and Present). N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Tarn, W. W. Alexander the Great. Cambridge: U, 1948. Print.