Sec 25
Influences of Alexander the Great
In the span of twelve years, the Macedonian king Alexander the Great conquered a vast empire stretching from Greece to modern day Pakistan, consuming the great Persian empire and absorbing many smaller kingdoms in the process. Alexander was a headstrong, violent, extremely brave, politically cunning, and gifted leader who was loved by his men. Very few individuals throughout history have affected the world to such an extent as he. This essay will examine the effects of Alexander the Great’s campaigns and explain why they were so influential in shaping western world. The effects of these campaigns that will be examined are his unification of western civilization and how they changed western culture, his making Greek the common language throughout his empire and the effects of this, and his legacy as a political and military leader and how they have influenced people throughout history.
To begin with we will examine the effects of what is considered Alexander’s Greatest accomplishment, the conquest and unification of the western half of the European continent. By conquering and replacing quarrelsome kingdoms with more amicable leaders, Alexander was able to exact an era of peace across his empire. Instead of imposing his own ideas of truth, religion, or behavior upon those he conquered, as long as they willingly kept the supply lines open to feed and equip his troop, he let them practice their native beliefs. This is important because it placated the conquered people, preventing revolt as well as allow for the relatively peaceful flow of culture and philosophy throughout the western continent.
Greek however had the strongest influence during this period because of Alexander’s conquest. His empire, at it’s height, which spanned from Greece to modern day Pakistan, was conquered through a series of campaigns directly led by himself. Not once was he defeated by an enemy general in his campaigns. The most