Asoka: Ruthless Conqueror or Enlightened Ruler
Asoka was one of the greatest rulers of ancient India. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya of Magadha who established the first Indian empire. Chandragupta reigned for twenty-four years before relinquishing his throne in favor of his son, Bundusara (Asoka's father), who left no noticeable mark upon the empire. My thesis would be that Asoka was an enlightened ruler and not a ruthless conqueror.
The first reason why I think Asoka was an enlightened ruler and not a ruthless conqueror because in document C it states that “Asoka gave rich gifts to the poor.” With this being said this means that Asoka was caring to the poor and if he was a ruthless conqueror he would not have cared to do anything of that sort. This document would help answer the question “Asoka: Ruthless Conqueror or Enlightened Ruler?” because it says that in this document the Asoka had awoken to the Buddhist religion.
The second reason why I think Asoka was an enlightened ruler and not a ruthless conqueror because in document E it states that “Today if a hundredth or a thousandth part of those people who were killed or died or were deported when Kalinga was annexed were to suffer…, it would weigh heavily on the mind of the Beloved of the Gods [Asoka].” With this being stated this means that Asoka was very sorry for taking over Kalinga and if it was to happen today he would to be able to forgive himself. This document would help answer the question “Asoka: Ruthless Conqueror or Enlightened Ruler?” because he is wanting forgiveness from the surviving Kalingans for what he did.
My third and final reason why I think Asoka was an enlightened ruler and not a ruthless conqueror because in document F (which is a document of a person’s opinion named Jawaharlal Nehru) it states that “Asoka though an emperor, was greater than any king or emperors.” With this being said this means that Nehru thought highly of Asoka and was a kind, righteous, and good willing emperor. This document would help answer the question “Asoka: Ruthless Conqueror or Enlightened Ruler?” because it shows that people in India thought highly of Emperor Asoka.
My conclusion is that Asoka was an enlightened ruler and not a ruthless conqueror because if he was a ruthless conqueror he would not have been thought highly of people in India, he would not have cared to give riches to the poor, and he would not have been the Beloved of the Gods.
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