Was Alexander Really Great Research Paper

According to Doc F, Alexander's empire only lasted 10 years without an heir because Alexander didn't leave an heir. He thought he was very strong and would not die but he did die in June of 323 BCE. Alexander's generals split up the land and then it began to fall into pieces because there was no heir. According to Doc A, he wasn't able to keep his army to keep going on with him. His army rebelled to go on any further and so Alexander wasn't able to control his army. He made his soldier's keep on going. According to Doc B, he tortured many people and killed and crucified people without hesitating. Lastly, in Doc C, Alexander was able to get more lands easily because the people surrendered without a fight. Alexander had a big ego that made him stronger but made him kill more people instead of doing other things. For example, Alexander could have made the people live instead of killing them.

While people may think that heroes have some bad things in their past, no hero has ever done what he did. According to A Hero’s Hero, “Here was a man, who walked in flesh and blood, a man who went on to conquer the whole world before he was thirty-two.”(1). A hero's job is to protect the world, and Alexander’s job was the opposite. He conquered the world, he didn’t protect it. Even more so is just how much he conquered, and what he had to do to conquer it. According to Alexander the Great, “A great conqueror, in 13 short years he amassed the largest empire in the entire ancient world — an empire that covered 3,000 miles.”(1). When a person conquers over 3,000 miles of land, one really cannot say that they are still a hero. Just think of what he had to do to get that much land… genocide. He had to inflict mass genocide amongst Asia. The blood that was spilled while the land was being taken over was ridiculous. And when a person does all of this, it’s hard to say that he’s a

Was Alexander the Great really great? To earn the title great, he must have done something astounding. Alexander the Great had fulfilled many goals in his life which made him one of the world's most impactful leaders, resulting from his education, his amazing military training, which lead to his many strategic accomplishments, and through transforming the Greek culture. First, Alexander received education in science, geography, and literature by Aristotle. He also learned many military techniques. Second, Alexander accomplished what no others could, he conquered the Persian Empire in just 3 years, which stood for 2 centuries. Third, Alexander impacted the Greek culture and started a new age, the Hellenistic age, this was a time of peace when

In document E it states that, “It took eleven years to build his empire.” The evidence shows that he had a big ego that made him build his empire in little time. Also, he just want it yo have a bigger, and strong empire. Additionally, in document A it states that, “In 334 BCE, Alexander crossed from Macedonia to Asia with an army of about 40,000 people.” Alexander big self-admiration made him take thousands of people to battle, and don't care what happen to them. He should had think about the lives he was going to loss while fighting. Alexander will never fit the honor of amazing because of his huge self-worth, and because he was

This shows that he is callous because the soldier tried to save his hat, even though the soldier wore Alexander’s hat cutting his head off as a cruel punishment. Alexander burnt down the city of Tyre(Doc. C).

According to Doc B, he used this amazing strategy of faking attacks on the Hydaspes River to relax Porus (his enemy) and trick him. Then as soon as Porus fell for the trick, Alexander went on attack and ended up demolishing his army (Doc B). Another example is in Doc C, where he had defeated the Tyrians after they refused to surrender. The Tyrians would stay in front of their village and fight so Alexander sent his army in to burn down their town take their people (Doc C). Also, in chapter 30 in History Alive, Alexander would conquer people with terror and kindness. If people surrendered, he would still conquer them but would be nice and let them keep their leaders. If they refused, he would threaten to burn down their city (or actually do burn it down like you heard in Doc C). This evidence shows that Alexander was powerful because many people admire the strategies of Alexander the great. They were unique, and nobody else could come close to him in warfare at his time. This is one of the many reasons why he was

Alexander the Great truly does deserve the word great in his name. He was fantastic leader, who conquered thousands of square miles, defeated one of the best military’s at the time. He was devoted to his work, he was an honorable and hard-working leader who cared about his army and people greatly.

After all the deaths and land stolen from others, his empire did not even last that long after he died. In Document E it states “Alexander’s empire held together… 10 years”. For how many death there where in his battles, it is not reasonable for him to take all that land. The part that does not make sense is that nobody in his empire took over. Alexander’s drive for battles sacrificed “Enemy soldiers and civilians… 100,000 killed” (Document E). That is so many family members hurt or killed. He ran four major battles from Europe to Asia to India and all through Africa. After he died his Empire just gave up on all the land they fought for.

As seen in “World History, Patterns of Interaction”: Alexander promised his people a better life and said the expansion of his kingdom would be beneficial for them, “Alexander announced plans to organize and unify his empire. He would construct new cities, roads, and harbors and conquer Arabia” (145). His promises were empty and shortly after his death there was no sign that their new leaders, Ptolemy, Antigonus, and Seleucus would attempt to fulfill his pledge. Alexander’s facade, duty towards his people, was broken after his death, his failure to follow through on his promises is not that of a great leader. Document E is a chart of events under and after Alexander’s rule.

The clearest evidence of this lies in Document C, entitled Alexander of Macedon by Peter Green and published by the University of California Press in 1991. This excerpt describes one of the many brutal rampages that Alexander’s troops embarked on, this time against Tyre, under their leader’s orders. His commands were “executed with savage relish” and even the men of Sidon, who had been rivals with the Tyrians for centuries, were “horrified by what they now witnessed”. Those who sought refuge were slayed, buildings were burned down, thousands of men at military age were crucified, and even survivors that surrendered were eventually enslaved. Therefore, Alexander was undoubtedly a relentless and power-hungry military leader that would have done anything in order to further himself and his plans. Moreover, Document B, written by Lucius Flavius Arrianus in 130 CE, also, though unintentionally, displays Alexander’s cruelty. Taken from Arrianus’s book called The Campaigns of Alexander, the story was supposed to be a recount and positive reflection of Alexander’s accomplishments, given that it was written by a Greek philosopher and historian. However, it, instead, is even further proof that Alexander was anything but great. The document narrates Alexander’s last major battle against Porus on the eastern bank of the Hydaspes

Does that not seem to you like betrayal and rejection of his own people? Alexander could never have had it both ways. As the conquerors we will never accept the customs of the conquered. Political move it may have been, but it was the wrong one. At the trial of the royal pages conspiracy, it was stated to Alexander that he abhorred the customs of his own country. Thus it was the king of Persians, not of the Macedonians that they wanted to kill13. Alexander has simply become so far removed from his own people that some do not even see him as their own king. The plot against his life was to pursue him as a deserter in accordance with the conventions of war14. When a sailor rescued Alexander’s crown from the sea and placed it on his own head to keep it dry and out of harm’s way, he was rewarded handsomely for the rescue. When it was pointed out by another to Alexander that the crown had been on another’s head, regardless of the situation he had the same man promptly executed on the belief that it was a bad omen. With the adoption of Persian luxury came outright abuse of power and skewed

Alexander killed thousands of people, taking over cities with violence for power you don’t need is not something you would do if you were great. In document C it says “The remaining survivors, some 30,000 in number, he sold into slavery. Two thousand men of the military age were crucified.” This shows that Alexander was not great. He used violence against people, to overcome cities he did not need just for more power. He destroyed homes and took away lifes. So many people were caused to have a painful and violent death because of Alexander. In document E it gives the estimated amount of enemy soldiers and civilians killed in just four major battles, 100,00.

Having conquered millions of square miles shows how determined at courageous Alexander was. 11 of Alexander’s cities were named Alexandria but in total, Alexander founded 70 city in the times that he inherited the empire to the time of his death (Doc E)

Alexander knew that if he was not going to come up with a way to puzzle his enemy that otherwise he could possibly lose all of his land. Alexander was creative the time when he puzzled Porous. Alexander saw that Porous had elephants. “He realized that he could not cross at the point where Porous was encamped-his elephants were to numerous.” (Doc B). So that night Alexander sent troops in all different directions and when Porous heard different sounds from all different directions that made Porous puzzled and made him quit. (Doc B). This evidence explains how Alexander was great because that was a very smart move to make someone quit fighting against you before the war has even started. Just because you are the little guy doesn’t mean you just give

Buildings were burning. The Sidon and killed many people. “Alexander managed to smuggle some 15,000 of them to safety” (Doc C). The remaining survivors 30,000 he sold into slavery, but he spared their lives. Alexander was great because he saved some many lives and spared lives to people he conquered.