Connection of Past and Present

Throughout our worlds history, many individuals have used their leadership of their

military responsibly in their society to benefit their civilization. The list of people who used

this strategy include Themistocles, Alexander The Great, Augustus, Hannibal, and many

more. Each of these individuals used their militaries in ways that differed from one another,

which makes military tactics a great way to take responsibility and provide for the society.

Dr. Carl Sagan once said You have to know the past to understand the present. By

learning strategies used in history, we learn how we can then succeed in providing for our

societies. So, lets explore how Themistocles, Alexander, and Augustus used military action

as their contribution to their civilizations.

Themistocles, often known as an Athenian naval strategist, was among those who utilized

the military. Themistocles doesnt just use the military, he uses his leadership of Athens

navy. He is considered the creator of Athenian sea power (Burn, 2017). Themistocles

used his navy to win a victory in the Battle of Salamis. To add to his victory at Salamis,

Themistocles also established Athens naval base, it was called Piraeus and was considered

the largest port in the land of Greece (Cartwright, 2016). Seeing that a navy was strong and

helped in battle, we now implement the use of a navy in our defense systems today.

Noticing how a naval base helped to support the naval branch, we continue to utilize the

support of these naval ports today. Michael Postma describes this continuation of past

actions in a really great way. Postma talks about why its important to study history, it

provides us with a format to develop the meaningful interpretations necessary to

examine the events that shape the modern society. Themistocles made a difference in his
society. He was responsible with his power in the navy and this helped him to con tribute

towards the betterment of the Athenian civilization.

Another individual who helped provide for the betterment of his society was Alexander the

Great. Alexander of Macedon is known mostly for his continuation of his fathers military

formation, the phalanx. The phalanx was a battle formation where soldiers stood in an array

with their shields covering the left side of their body and the right side of the soldier next to

him. This formation was strictly enforced and the soldiers were trained extensively in order

to make the phalanx more successful. The phalanx was created by Alexanders father Philip,

but Alexander continued to grow this formation into something else. Having been

preserved and altered across the generations to our own time, they are sure to continue into

the future. (McNeill, 1985).

William H. McNeill, in this line, McNeill was talking about behavior of the past can be

preserved and used in todays world. Alexanders phalanx helped to teach soldiers to care

and support his team and fellow soldiers. We obviously have carried that idea into our

generation of the military, we see it in the saying No soldier left behind. Along with

Alexanders phalanx and unity of soldiers he also supposedly never lost a battle. Alexander

the Great also conquered the Achaemenid Empire as well as ruled over his empire while it

was at one of its greatest heights. It stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River.

Using all of his military tactics and techniques, Alexander was able to win victories i n the

Battles of Issus, Gaugamela, as well as the Battle of the Hydaspes. The Macedonian army,

under Alexanders control, also marched, attacked and defeated the Thracian forces.

Alexander the Great was one of the most accomplished war generals ever to have lived. We

could use his strategies in todays times of war because his strategies made him an
accomplished general. He knew how to train his soldiers, create and further battle

formations, win victories over many different types of armies, and rule over a large empire

all in his lifetime. We could definitely use some of Alexander the Greats techniques in our

military today to become as accomplished as he was.

In 31 BC, this man destroyed three-quarters of an Egyptian fleet at the Battle of Actium. He

was a hero for his empire. Augustus. At the age of 32, he was the first emperor of Rome and

promised to bring peace, security and order to the empire. Augustus was able to expand the

Roman empire using his victories over Egypt, Northern Spain, and Central Europe.

Augustus major battle was the Battle of Actium, where he destroyed much of the Egyptian

fleet. This battle was very significant for him because of the result it had on Marc Antony

and Cleopatra. Both of these two were plotting something against Augustus and his empire.

Augustus took control and led his army to Battle against the Egyptians. Suffering from a

loss, Cleopatra and Marc Antony committed suicide and Romans were pleased and brought

together by Augustus victory and his success. Augustus was able to utilize his army to

expand his empire. He was responsible and made his contribution to the expansion of his

society. In our world today, we could learn from him. Winning a victory can not only

expand your territory, but also bring your people together to believe in your power and

greatness. Augustus was also able to end 100 years of civil war within the Roman Empire,

and allowed the Romans to enjoy 40 years of peace and security. Augustus fulfilled his role

to his civilization.

History matters as a means by which a people can be bound together in ways which keep

them true to the best developments time has had to offer, even while individual tweaks can

be made along the way. (Hodges, 2012). Blair Dee Hodges was rephrasing something that
was written by Edmund Burke. This statement perfectly fits in with this whole theme of how

military was used to contribute to ancient civilizations. In our modern military, we see quite

a few strategies and tactics that take origin in our worlds past. To recap, Themistocles

showed us the advancement of a navy and a naval base. Alexander the Great taught us that

team unity and strict training creates strong powerful armies that can accomplish so much.

Augustus showed us that you can win a victory in expansion and bind your people together.

By having a recollection of our past we can use that to our advantage to exploit more active

roles we could have in our societies. In contributing to our social systems. We all have a

responsibility to our society. By learning about past individuals experiences, we understand

the importance of fulfilling your role in society. The connection we have with our past,

affects our future as much as it did, our present.

 Works Cited

Burn, Robert A. Themistocles. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica inc. 2017.

Web. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Themistocles

Cartwright, Mark. Themistocles. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia.

2016. Web. http://www.ancient.eu/Themistocles/

Hodges, Blair Dee. On the Rhetorical Use of History to Understand the Present. Academia. Blair
Dee Hodges. 2012. Web. https://www.academia.edu/1539830/Hodges-
_Final_Essay_On_Rhetorical_Uses_of_History_to_Understand_the_Present

McNeill, William H. Why Study History? AHA. American Historical Association. !985. Web.
https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-
archives/archives/why-study-history-(1985)

Postma, Michael. What Can History Teach Us Today? ASCD Express. ASCD. 2011. Web.
http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol6/622-postma.aspx

Unkown. Augustus. PBS. Devillier Donegan Enterprises. 2006. Web.

http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/augustus.html

Wikipedia Contributors. Alexander the Great. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
2017. Web.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=Alexander_the_Gr
eat&id=795203815

Wikipedia Contributors. Macedonian Phalanx. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, The Free

Encyclopedia. 2017. Web. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonian_phalanx