Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Portfolio Reflection
It is often said that history is written by the victor. Even the strongest militaries will fail
without a good leader. Throughout the past 13 weeks, I have read about military leaders with
various strengths and weaknesses. The outcomes of each Empire have ultimately shown how
effective these leaders were at leading their armies. The three militaristic leaders that stuck out to
me the most were Alexander the Great, King Cyrus, and Trajan. These three leaders were prime
examples of what effective leadership can do for a civilization, and ultimately demonstrated key
If asked about the great leaders from the ancient world, the first name that comes to mind
is Alexander the Great. How could it not, the word great is literally in his name after all.
Alexander the Great had arguably the largest impact on Greek civilization out of all of his
predecessors. Alexander the Great was an incredibly effective leader, and used his army to
expand the Greek empire farther and faster than any of the other Greek leaders. By the end of his
reign, the Greek empire expanded more than two million square miles, and stayed that size for
another few hundred years after Alexander died (Turchin, Hall and Adams). In addition, he
carried the greatest military record compared to anyone else, with a flawless 20 wins and 0
losses. Not only did Alexander expand the Greek empire, but he also strengthened contact and
trade between the East and West (Roisman and Worthington). The number one attribute that
ultimately fueled the successes of Alexander the Great was his attitude. Alexander was reported
to have been rather cocky, and in turn this confidence rubbed off on his military and lead them to
victory against all their opponents. Having a positive, can-do attitude is key in not only ancient
the king of the Persian empire, Cyrus utilized his effective leadership and strong army to conquer
Babylon. Cyrus is most well-known for his treatment to the Hebrew people upon his taking of
Babylon. After being enslaved for more than 50 years, Cyrus allowed the Hebrews to return to
Jerusalem, and to retain their faith (ushistory.org). A true leader by example, Cyruss acts would
inspire and influenced the rulers of Persia that came after his rule. Cyrus was a leader whos
ultimate goal was to positively contribute to society, and left a long lasting impression on the
Persian empire and people. Giving back to people and doing the right thing is another trait that is
The final militaristic leader who stood the test of time was Roman Emperor Trajan. Not
only was Trajan a very successful leader, but he was also an incredible mentor to his
subordinates (Kamm). Trajans most famous battles were the two Dacian Wars, in which Trajan
lead his army to victory in both. These victories increased Trajans popularity amongst the
Roman populous (Luttwak). By being an effective leader, Trajan was able to utilize his military
to not only be successful in battle, but to also boost his support from the Roman people. One of
the secrets to Trajans success was his dedication to getting the task at hand done. By relentlessly
pushing and using his resources correctly, Trajan showed how dedication can provide the edge
There are those that claim history will repeat itself. However, by looking at the past and
relating it to the outcomes of many modern-day civilizations and conflicts, we can see that this is
not always true. Each human being is unique, and these complexities are what make duplicates in
action nearly impossible (McNeill). It is because of these differences that history can never truly
repeat itself. Even though past may not show us the outcomes of the future, studying it can
provide insight on how to handle various situations when they arise. By understanding what
worked and didnt work, we are able to get that much closer to perfecting the present (Hodges).
The leaders Alexander the Great, King Cyrus, and Trajan, all faced different challenges within
their eras. These challenges were then preserved in stories, which provide insight for leaders
around the globe that came after their passings. The stories told by the past can be lessons of
humility, wisdom, hope, and courage (Postma). The actions and examples set by these three
highlighted key traits of effective leadership, and will serve as prime examples for decades to
come.
Bibliography
Hodges, Blair D. On the Rhetorical Use of History to Understand the Present. Academia, 7
Kamm, Antony. The Romans: an introduction. Taylor & Francis Books, (n.d). Accessed 11
August 2017.
Luttwak, Edward. The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire. JHU Press, 1976. Accessed 11
August 2017.
McNeill, William H. Why Study History? American Historical Association, 1985. Accessed
11 August 2017.
Potsma, Michael. What Can History Teach Us Today? ASCD Express, vol. 6, no. 22, 2011.
Roisman, Joseph, and Ian Worthington. A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. John Wiley &
Turchin, Peter, et al. East-West Orientation of Historical Empires and Modern States. Journal
2017.