Compare and Contrast the Athenian Empire to Alexander the Great's Empire

¶ … Athenian Empire to Alexander the Great's Empire as the two main efforts to unify and expand ancient Greece. Ancient Greece played a vital role in the civilization and culture of the world. They developed some of the things we take for granted today, such as democracy, art, and philosophy. Alexander the Great helped spread Athenian culture around the world, and its influence is still felt today. The Athenian Empire was one of the greatest on Earth, and it became a model for civilization, culture, and democracy.

Athens, the city the culture was named after, was the leading city in Greece, and a leading city in the world. The Greeks had a thriving trade center, they had wealth, they had a great navy that ruled over the rest of the area, and they had developed a democratic system of government. They had great buildings such as the Parthenon, and they enjoyed the arts and literature. In short, they had a thriving culture that was successful, forward thinking, and much like our modern culture in many ways.

Democracy was probably one of the most important developments from Athenian society, as it still exists in a modified form from what the Greeks developed. Their democracy included a popular assembly, which included all the citizens over eighteen, the Council of 500, and a popular court. The Athenians also educated their young men beginning at the age of six, and their education included athletics, music, and science. Young women were taught in the home.

In addition to democracy, education, and commerce, the Greeks developed the first philosophers, including Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates. In fact, Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great as a young boy, which may have helped him develop his healthy admiration of Greek culture. By the time Philip, Alexander's father, took over as ruler of Athens, the city-state was a thriving empire with an educational system, a democratic government, and thriving trade. It was one of the greatest civilizations on Earth, but Alexander's rule would make it even greater.

In many ways, Alexander the Great's empire built on the principles of the Athenians. He admired their culture, and when he took over the rule from his father who had conquered them, he hoped to blend much of their culture into a dominant world society that he could oversee. He wanted to blend Greek and Persian cultures with Greek law and the Greek language the dominant forces in the culture.

Alexander and his conquering of Persia helped found an entire network of cities, which strengthened the area and traded with one another. Greece, with Athens, was just one small part in this network of cities, and so, Greece grew and prospered along with the rest, creating a stronger whole. However, as Athens grew stronger, so did its' effect on the world. Alexander's empire spread the Greek, or Hellenistic, culture throughout the world. Initially, Alexander's father, Philip of Macedonia bested the Greeks in battle and took over rule of their country.

After his victory, Philip formed the Hellenistic League, a cohesive whole of all the major city-states of Greece except Sparta. This League helped bring the Greek civilization together instead of fragmenting it, and ultimately helped spread the civilization throughout Persia, Europe, and the world. Philip was murdered in 336 B.C., but he had always counseled and confided in his son, who took over for his father after his death.

Alexander created a uniform type of money in all the lands he conquered, and founded a number of new cities with a government made up of Persians, Greeks, and Macedonians. Alexander believed all men could be brothers in his world, and this was a forward thinking step that still has not been realized. The greatest city in Alexander's empire was Alexandria, Egypt, which had half a million in population, a great library, lighthouse, and commerce, which quickly spread from East to West and back.

Thus, Alexander's empire spread far further than the Athenians had, but it carried most of the same messages far and wide. Athenian thought, scientific discovery, education, athletics, and democratic values all spread around the world, and this was a direct result of Alexander's ability to see a commonality among the nations he conquered, and attempt to blend this commonality into a cohesive whole. Alexander died in 353 B.C., when he was only thirty-three years old.

Since he left no heirs, the governing of his empire fell to three of his generals. It would be interesting to see what Alexander could have accomplished had he lived longer. Certainly, he would have felt the need to conquer more nations to add to his empire. In addition, he may have been able to unify his empire even more, and truly realize his dream of one world, one.