Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Both points-of-view may be absolutely correct, but neither really addresses the issue of whether or not Alexander was truly great.
Perhaps the best way to evaluate Alexander's greatness is to look at the lasting effects that he had on civilization.
First and foremost, Alexander conquered the known world. "Before Alexander world civilization had been dominated by eastern cultures - Persians, Egyptians, and Babylonians. Alexander shifted the spotlight once and for all. From now on the western societies of the Romans and the Greeks would take over the torch." Alexander used the gold reserves of conquered Persia to build new cities and ports, which he used to spread the Greek civilization around the world. In fact, "the economic system that began to take shape after Alexander's reign remained virtually unchanged until the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century." While the Greeks may have found Alexander's successes great, not all of the people that he conquered welcomed him as warmly as the Egyptians.
A person's answer to whether or not Alexander was indeed great may have more to do with their place in the modern world than with any personal attribute of Alexander the Great. After all, history is generally written by the victorious. However, even those that are unhappy with the modern world and with the fact that Alexander began the concept of western domination of the civilized world, may agree that Alexander was great. It is impossible to look at the modern world and civilization today without seeing Alexander's influence. He may not have been a good man. He may have been a megalomaniac, as some critics allege. Furthermore, he may have been ruthlessly evil, as others maintain. However, there can be little doubt that Alexander the Great was, indeed, great.
Alexander the Great [online]. 1999. Florida: Wikipedia;...
2005. Son of Ammon [online]. Amsterdam: Livius; available at http://www.livius.org/ajal/alexander/alexander08.html;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Lendering, Jona. 2005. Alexander the Great [online]. Amsterdam: Livius; available at http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander00c.html;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Lendering, Jona. 2005. Religious Persecution under Alexander the Great [online]. Amsterdam: Livius; available from www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander_t47.html;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Welman, Nick. 2005. General Overview [online]. Pothos; available at http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=88&keyword_id=2&title=General%20Introduction;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Lendering, Jona. 2005. Alexander the Great [online]. Amsterdam: Livius; available at http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander00c.html;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Alexander the Great [online]. 1999. Florida: Wikipedia; available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_great;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Welman, Nick. 2005. General Overview [online]. Pothos; available at http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=88&keyword_id=2&title=General%20Introduction;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Wehrstein, Karen. 2003. Alexander's True Passion: Transcendence [online]. Pothos; available at http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=26&keyword_id=2&title=Passion;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Welman, Nick. 2005. General Overview [online]. Pothos; available at http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=88&keyword_id=2&title=General%20Introduction;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Welman, Nick. 2005. General Overview [online]. Pothos; available at http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=88&keyword_id=2&title=General%20Introduction;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Wehrstein, Karen. 2003. Alexander's True Passion: Transcendence [online]. Pothos; available at http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=26&keyword_id=2&title=Passion;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Welman, Nick. 2005. General Overview [online]. Pothos; available at http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=88&keyword_id=2&title=General%20Introduction;Internet; accessed 14 March 2005.
Introduction While today’s wars tactics involved precision-guided missiles and missile defense shields, the armies of ancient times relied upon cruder and simpler weapons, such as sticks and stones, to make war. However, one thing that has not changed over the course of history is that war is about resources and the victor is the one who adapts to the times and to the environment as well as the one who has
Alexander II dilemmas views emancipation serfs The background of Emancipation serfs: The foundation of serfdom extends back to as earlier as 11th century and continued in the Russian society till the time, Tsar Alexander finally announced to demolish this system in 1861. The serfdom was an altered form of slavery for a number of people, who were restricted for every need of life and bound to take permission from their lord.
Hamilton notes the biographies of Alexander often reflected the backgrounds of authors who wrote about him. For example, Sir William Tarn, a Scottish gentleman of the British imperial era, characterized Alexander as a chivalrous Greek gentleman with a missionary zeal to spread Greek civilization. In contrast, Fritz Schachermeyr, a German historian who had experienced the rise and fall of the Nazi Germany, described Alexander as a ruthless and cruel
Instead, while under false arrest and retreating from the Macedonians, Darius was killed by one of his subjects. Because the battle at Gaugamela marked the turning point in the battle between the Macedonians and the Achaemenids, it is clear that if Darius was to have been able to defeat Alexander and his troops, he would have needed to do so before the battle at Gaugamela. Therefore, it is important to
It was plainly obstruction of justice, and Al Haig knew it immediately. It must also be noted, however, that, as the president tried to cover his tracks, Al Haig was given orders by Nixon to help him do it. In that capacity, for instance, Haig helped arrange the wiretaps of government officials and reporters (Gearan). He played a key role in attempting to persuade Nixon to resign. Most believe it was
Alexander had taken Roxana, a Bactrian princess as one of his many wives, however, his Macedonian officers rebelled at his attempt to force them to intermarry with the Persians and "resisted his Eastern ways and his vision of an empire governed by tolerance," and although there was a mutiny, it was unsuccessful (Alexander Pp). In 323, while planning a sea voyage around Arabia, Alexander caught a fever and died at