Summary of People and Empires

The City-state of Rome became a republic in 509 BC. Rome fought numerous battles to become what it was at its height. It all started with the Punic wars. After they won, there was no stopping them. By the first century BC, Rome controlled most of the known world. (Mahoney, 2001)

From 1567 to 330 B.C. humanity experienced many subsequent development as well as decline in its civilizations. Among these events emerged three colossal empires that had shaken the world and forever changed the course of human history. The Egyptian, Assyrian, and Persian Empires have been instrumental in influencing technology, religion, and ideas throughout the world. Various factors have contributed to the success and downfall of these giants. Each of the “World Powers” have similarities as well as distinctions in its government form and organization, religion, and economy that contributed to their triumph.

Alexander the Great the king who took the throne around the age of 20. This young man was the heir of Philip II, since it was his father. After his father was assassinated he took the throne. In 323 BC he was working on plans for new projects, including beginning new cities, when he caught a fever. Not much later on he died at the age of 33 years old. Historians believed that Alexander was a hero for the many lands that he conquered, the Greek culture that was spread and that he has never lost a battle. Although he did have these achievements there is a lot that he has done that composes him to be a villain. Alexander the Great did many terrible things that makes him a villain, he put many people into slavery and also slaughtered people, there was no respect for the citizens, and he did not care about architecture that was made.

Throughout the rise and fall of the Roman empire, the government was a combination of a democracy and republic. Starting with Romulus, Rome was first ruled by a series of seven kings until 509 BCE when Rome constructed itself a Republic til

Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia and was a great conqueror in 330 BC. He was the son of King Philip II and Queen Olympia. During his childhood, he had an interest in courses like medicine, science, and philosophy. He was tutored by the philosopher, Aristotle, and was influenced by Homer’s Iliad, which made him a great conqueror after he was motivated by the main character in the epic, Achilles. After he was proclaimed as king, he led series of attacks and invasions with his army into Asia Minor in around 320 BC. He was known for his cultural achievements, military strategies, and his empire administration. In fact, he conquered more land at a faster rate than any other commanders. Out of all military leaders known in history, Alexander

Chau’s thesis that the rise and fall of empires was due to tolerance, inclusion, difference, and diversity is shown to be true of the Roman Empire because of the way that tolerance allowed and caused the empire to rise, enter its golden age, and fall. The Roman Empire was a “hyperpower” that lasted from 44 BCE to 476 CE. The empire contained Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe, along with North Africa; thus, there was an abundance of culture from many different conquered groups. Romans wanted to make these conquered nations provinces of Rome. The Roman Empire began (and the Roman Republic ended) with the assassination of Julius Caesar, who wanted to be a dictator. No longer a republic, the lands already ruled by Rome became part of an empire. The government became centralized with a single ruler, the emperor. However, even before the empire, during the Republic, there was also the similar feeling of wanting to conquer other nations was there.

Was Rome more of a Republic or Empire? In a sense, Rome was a both a Republic and Empire throughout different times in history. At first, Rome was very much a Republic. It had no one leader and instead had many different elected representatives. The people of Rome could voice their opinions and influence the government. However, with the fall of the Republic, Rome soon became an Empire with only one leader. This leader, or emperor, usually did whatever they felt like and did not have to listen to those around them. Historians considered Rome to be a Republic at around 509 BC.

The Roman Republic is a government that began in 509 BC and ended in 27 BC. First of all the Romans were trying to overthrow their Etruscan king (Tarquin the Proud). Etruscan kings had ruled for 100’s of years. After overthrowing the last king the Roman Republic formed. It’s a government in which citizens and representatives were to rule. The Republic was quite different from a democracy.

The Roman Republic was a “democratic” republic, which allowed first citizens to vote, and to choose their governors in the senate (Hence, their consuls). However, it was a nation ruled by its aristocracy, and, consequently, the entire Republic`s power was concentrated in a few individuals. Furthermore, the Senate was controlled by Patricians, which directed the government by using wealth to buy control and power over the decisions of the senate and the consuls. This situation aroused the inconformity of the people; as result, a civil war took place in the Republic (destroying it), and then the Roman Empire was born.

As Rome became independent from the Etruscan ruling, its government walked away from having a monarch and transformed into a Republic as a way to avoid the tyranny that many times comes with an absolute autocrat. Rigorous precautions were taken from the start in order to keep the power balanced. Moreover, the structure of the government was meant to be resilient to bad judgment. The structure of the Roman Republic with its government and law provided for a more just system.

The Roman people, a whole, were able to create a system of government that would last for five hundred years. The Roman Republican government was strong but was not strong enough and would eventually crumble like the empire itself and be replaced with the “Imperial Government”. However there were many things that made the Roman Republican government great, so great that the future would model their governments of Rome’s. The United States would model their government off of the Roman Republic, to form the democracy that we know today.

Alexander the Great has truly shaped and inspired the entire world as one of the greatest and most successful military leaders in history. Alexander has influenced many writers, as he is included in the national literatures of some eighty countries. At the age of just thirty, Alexander had conquered what was known as oecumene (the inhabited world). Alexander the Great has become worldly recognized and lives on to this day as a modern hero who took on, conquered the world and spread Hellenic culture.

Ancient Empires such as Gupta, Rome, Maya, and Rome were some important empires.They all have Pros/Cons in their Empire. No empire was perfect, each empire had its own ups and downs. The Romans had a strong military that gained lots of new land compared to the Mayans who did not have a strong military because their military did not help gain lots of land and didn’t really defend their land well like the Romans did. Rome had better beliefs and religion such as Roman mythology which had stronger beliefs compared to hinduism in Gupta. Even though, Maya enjoyed good trade such as animal skin, and jade, Romans still had better architecture which was more helpful. Rome has better characteristics compared to the other empires which makes it the most successful.

In the novel, The Classical World: an Epic History of Greece and Rome by Robin Lane Fox, Alexander the Great conquered the vast majority of the populated Ancient World from what is known today as Turkey to Pakistan. He was one of the greatest warlords of all time and there are multiple motives throughout Alexander’s life that prompted his success. Growing up under the success of his father, inheriting a strong and built empire, as well as viewing Philip as a powerful role model to surpass, became the motives that prompted Alexander’s many achievements. Alexander’s complicated relationship with his father Philip provided the primary motivation for his conquests.

In the second part, "Alexander the Great and Heroic Leadership", he details the life and conquests of Alexander the Great. He was a son of Philip II of Macedon whom Philip II had a great influence on Alexander and his methods as a soldier and commander. Throughout Alexander 's childhood, he was well educated in many areas suitable to a young royal. Alexander 's education included learning to sing and play the lyre, hunt and ride and how to debate, and to appreciate epic poetry, mostly as it related to Homer. On the eve of his march into Asia he was certainly one of the best-informed men in the Greek world. Alexander would become known worldwide for being the leader who did what no other could do before or since conquer states and entities on several continents and create a kingdom greater than any other. He was conquest of the Persian Empire and he marched with his men toward India. He