Nick Bradley

Prof. Richardson

Western Civilizations

Alexander the Great

King Alexander arose to the throne at age twenty due to the death of his father he took the

power of the Kingdom of Macedonia. Young Alexander was heavily trained and prepped to take

kingship as his father helped him by having had “taken him on military campaigns” as well as

placed him in charge of many parts of the military (Spielvogel 76). His father had goals and

dreams of invading the Persian kingdom before he was assassinated and Alexander planned on

carrying the invasion out. Known by many as Alexander the great we learn about his amazing

triumphs as king and his drive resulting in many successes for the hellenistic world and beyond.

Historians praise his war tactics and his love of Greek culture, it is easy to see that Alexander

truly deserves the title “the Great”.

At a first glance one may refute in the simple fact that Alexander caused mass killings of

people around the world. Although this is something that could help him be viewed as a horrible

person, his means of deaths were a direct result of his love for Greek culture and his longing to

push it further around the world so it could be celebrated and appreciated by many. Many see the

meaning behind his longing to spread Greek culture to be more than likely just an attempt “to

bolster his power and create an autocratic monarchy” (Spielvogel 78). This claim of abuse of the

arts to create a place for him to build complete control over a large amount of people is clearly

outshined by his ability to rule a country and bring it to a massive world power.
 Secondly, Alexander is praised by historians for his incredible military technique and his

ability to seemingly flawlessly take over large kingdoms. This statement remains accurate,

despite his ways of conquering resulting in the deaths of many peoples. Not only did he expand

his kingdom but also carried out the dream of his father to conquer the Persian kingdom.

Alexanders drive to conquer as many places as possible pushed him to force his armies to go

through years and years of non-stop military campaigning and fighting and gave him and his

army a reputation like no other. Pushing for more land and more power struck fear into any

enemy wanting to stand in his kingdoms way. His love of the greek arts brought about a time of

“unprecedented prosperity and knowledge that advanced” many of the worlds ideas and as well

as sciences (Why Was…). This courage and will to spread greek knowledge put him and

Macedonia on the map and brought them to times of utmost success.

In conclusion, Alexander was a powerhouse force that conquered many lands and infused

many Greek ideas through the east as well as bringing upon the hellenistic era. Through all these

things, Alexander was a man with phenomenal fighting tactics and an ability to do anything he

set his mind to. This work and strive for complete power over much of the world shows his true

success as a leader and as a conqueror. He was sharp, loving of the arts and known for his

impeccable planning. He was Alexander the Great.

References
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: Volume I: To 1715. Cengage Learning; 9 edition

(January 1, 2014)

“Why Was Alexander the Great So Successful In His Conquests?” How Did Public Sanitation

Develop? - DailyHistory.org,

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