John Calvin Perry
September 30, 2016
Public opinion agrees that Alexander the Great deserves his name because he was a military mastermind who greatly influenced Greek and Macedonian culture. Both ancient and modern sources say that though he was fierce in battle and was capable of being ruthless, he was a kind and generous person who cared about the people close to him. All of his accomplishments in war were not only great for him and his country, but also for expanding the culture of all of Europe and Asia, and bringing in age called the Hellenistic Period. These accomplishments have solidified Alexander as one of the Greatest leaders of all time.
Alexander the Great went out an conquered almost all of Asia, going through civilization after civilization and defeating them all. He was able to bring small parts of each culture back with him when he finally returned to Greece. This proves his success in expanding culture in Europe and Asia. His main cultural development was the merging of Greek and Persian cultures. “Alexander's meteoric conquest of Persia, his excursion into India, his military skill, his vision for a unified people, and his role as an agent of Greek culture changed the Mediterranean world in a multitude of ways, ushering in what historians have come to call the Hellenistic period,” (Jim Tschen Emmons ABC-CLIO Alexander the Great). Jim Tschen Emmons agrees and says that Alexander had a vision to unite the people of Greece with other people throughout Asia, by combining their cultures to make one big way of life. He tried to do this by intermarrying his Greek generals with Persian women and taking on Persian attire. These attempts to merge cultures were huge in the start of the next historical period, where Greek culture was spread throughout the Mediterranean.
Alexander the Great was one of the greatest military strategists of all time. Sure, he received an initial boost from his father, Philip II, but almost all of his accomplishments were due to his own hard work. “For since he did not covet pleasure, nor even wealth, but excellence and fame, he considered that the more he should receive from his father the fewer would be the successes won by himself,” (Plutarch The Parallel Lives). Even the few things that his father gave him, Alexander did not ask or wish for. He wanted to have success for himself and for it to be his accomplishments, not his father’s. Alexander succeeded in this desire. He was prepared to lead his army from the minute he stepped into the position. He had been trained as a child, and had prior experience with different aspects of battle, including training with horses. He also had a fantastic education, thanks to the fact that his tutor was Aristotle. These skills helped him to hit the ground running when he was placed in power. His first showing of his military competence as ruler came right off the bat. He put down several uprisings including one in Thebes where he massacred the revolters and sold any survivors into slavery. This not only showed his leadership ability in battle, but also forced anyone who was skeptical about him before this showing to immediately forget their doubts and respect him.
Some people interpret the slaughtering in Thebes as Alexander being a merciless, ruthless person, but most people see it as Alexander having to prove himself to his country and soldiers as not being just a young boy, but a skillful leader that was willing to do what was necessary for Macedonia to thrive. “Alexander is widely praised for his military genius, his energy and courage, his flexibility in changing circumstances, and his generosity and devotion to his friends and to the people and causes he supported,” (Ellen Bialo ABC-CLIO Career of Alexander the Great). Ellen Bialo describes public opinion of Alexander to be mostly positive, even saying that he was generous and devoted to the people he was close to. This completely goes against the idea that Alexander was a ruthless man with no soul. “Alexander is reported by all sources to have treated his royal hostages with utmost graciousness,” (Ryan Hackney ABC-CLIO Darius III). Ryan Hackney was talking about the capture of King Darius of Persia’s wife and mother. Alexander was not only gracious towards his direct friends and family, but was even merciful and compassionate to the family of an enemy ruler. Alexander took care of Darius’s family for years after he died, treating them with utmost respect and kindness.
Alexander’s greatness has been talked about for many years, all the way up until now. Public opinion has agreed that he is great, going as far back as when Alexander died, to Plutarch’s Live during Caesar’s reign a few hundred years later, to modern day, where history experts still analyze Alexander’s rule and agree that he was great. Alexander’s military skill and tactics were by far the best of his time, his unification of his people was outstanding, and how he expanded the culture of many different societies pushed the civilizations of Europe and Asia forward into the Hellenistic Period changed the world.
Works Cited
Bialo, Ellen. "Career of Alexander the Great." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016,
ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1185181. Accessed 28 Sept. 2016.
Emmons, Jim Tschen. "Alexander the Great." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016,
ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/575648. Accessed 28 Sept. 2016.
Hackney, Ryan. "Darius III." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016,
ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/573794. Accessed 28 Sept. 2016.
Plutarch. "The Life of Alexander." The Parallel Lives,
penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Alexander*/3.html.
