Julius Caesar was doubtless a adult male who changed history. His life and its narrative have inspired coevalss of awe and scrupulous survey. Many would reason he is the most influential adult male in recorded history. However, can the great Caesar genuinely be declared a event-making adult male, harmonizing to the standards of the Great Man Theory? Did he genuinely act upon the class of history through his ain extraordinary Acts of the Apostless of will and leading? Or was he merely a fortunate adult male who appeared in the right topographic point at the right clip, being merely the pawn of a greater strategy? By following and researching the political ideals and abilities of Caesar, every bit good as his military ability and art, this essay hopes to clearly show that he was so a great event-making adult male, possessed of exceeding aspiration, unbelievable intelligence, singular craft, and excessive courage.
In order to properly evaluate Caesar as a Great Man, we must foremost set up the standards by which he is to be judged, the standards of the Great Man Theory. Harmonizing to Russell Hooks, writer of an essay on the Great Man Theory, a Great Man is an event-making adult male. A individual who, through witting will and extraordinary shows of leading accomplishments and intelligence, influences the flow of history. An event-making adult male does non do events to go on by opportunity, such as through heritage. He intentionally alters the flow of history vastly from that which it would hold been without his existence1. On the reverse, an eventful adult male is one who besides alters the flow of history, yet did so through no unbelievable shows of his ain endowment. He is non alone in any manner, and any other adult male would hold done the same in his stead2. This is the difference between an event-making adult male, and a simply eventful adult male. So was Julius Caesar a genuinely great event-making adult male? Did he possess intelligence, craft, and aspiration beyond that of normal work forces? Did he, throughout his life, make witting determinations to foster his ain illustriousness and alteration history? Yes, Caesar was so a great adult male, and was alone in many facets.
In the political universe of Rome, Caesar was a regular giant, yet non merely did he hold power, but an disingenuous intelligence. No affair what his place, he exhibited marks of true leading. He was patient, cognizing that he would one twenty-four hours be the swayer of Rome. He was ruthless, making whatever it would take to foster his ain success. He was corrupt when necessary, corrupting and mounting quickly in the political domain of Rome. From his birth in 99 BCE, on the 11th twenty-four hours of the month Quinctilus, which would subsequently be renamed after him to July, he was an ambitious and surpassing adult male. It should be noted besides, that he was non born into a household of unbelievable prestigiousness, nor was he heir to any peculiar place of great importance. He was a member of the aristocracy, yet no more. All that he gained, he did so through his ain Acts of the Apostless of will and aspiration. At an early age, he attempted to derive political power by talking in the public Forum. This action resulted in failure for the clip being, yet this licking inspired him to analyze under the great Apollonius, in order to increase his fluency of address. Caesar instantly recognized the importance of address, and what function it would play in his fate. In the hereafter, Caesar would give many addresss to the people, and derive their fondness by using great sums of wealth in big banquets and parties. As his popularity grew, he rose in rank and distinction every bit good.
Through these witting determinations, Caesar was easy plotting the overthrow of the Republic, and saw these little triumphs as the foundation of his hereafter greatness3. As his calling advanced, Caesar passed through many progressively of import places of power in the authorities, such as 2nd speechmaker, and Praetor of Rome ( the head civil magistrate ) . In Cadiz, a metropolis in Spain, Caesar encountered a statue of Alexander at the Great in the temple of Hercules. He reportedly sighed to a great extent, disappointed in his deficiency of power at the same age at which Alexander had about conquered the known universe. However, Caesar knew that forbearance and cautiousness were necessary. Slowly but certainly, he gained increasing favor with the people, and increasing celebrity for his speedy humor and ambitious actions. He took every chance to talk in public, and to affect the public with his fluency. He bribed his manner to places where even his intelligence and repute would non acquire him. It should be apparent that Julius Caesar was no ordinary adult male, and his political art was unmatched. The events go arounding around the political domain of Rome during this clip were unmistakably directed by Caesar s craft patterns. Soon after, Caesar reached the tallness of his popularity. After deriving multiple military triumphs against the Gauls, Caesar ceased power from the opposing Senate, accepting the rubric of Dictator for Life from the Roman people, who welcomed him as their leader. Caesar introduced many superb economic and societal reforms4, bettering the general life conditions of Rome. He reduced the figure of people on public assistance by half. Caesar built new market topographic points, planned new settlements, and improved the general beauty and wealth of Rome on the whole.
Though Caesar was finally assassin
ated on the forenoon of March 15,
44 BCE by covetous political enemies, he left behind a singular trail of leading, courage, intelligence, and political mastermind. His ability to rock work forces to his side in arguments, and to confuse many great talkers with his speedy humor, indicates his intelligence and dare. Politically, Caesar succeeded in his pursuit for power. He did so with virtually no fortune or opportunity, and through merely his ain successes. In this, he demonstrated that in political relations, Julius Caesar was so a great event-making adult male.
During Caesar s celebrated military calling, Caesar showed unbelievable finding and inventiveness when confronting any opposition. He won conflicts under impossible odds, and shocked and delighted Romans with his triumphs wherever he went. When others doubted him, he proved them incorrect. Doubt would oftentimes even promote him, and he scoffed at those who fought against him. He was by no agencies an ordinary military leader. Of peculiar note was the combination of his courage, his inventiveness, and possibly most of import, his finding. Some may name it stupidity or ignorance, yet Caesar s involuntariness to lose would win him many celebrated and esteemed conflicts. His conflicts in Gaul and in Britain brought significant glorification to his name, and gained considerable land for the Roman Empire which he would shortly govern. For nine old ages he fought runs in all of Britain, and after nine long old ages he had brought all of Britain into the Roman state. There were more frequent and longer jubilations in Rome for his triumphs than for any former general. Caesar was non merely clever in his triumphs of these runs, but he besides saw their significance elsewhere. They added immense amounts to his already significant wealth, in the signifier of one-year grosss from annexed lands. They besides increased his celebrity and popularity, and he was revered about as a God.
As aforementioned, Caesar was alone because of his courage, inventiveness, and of extreme importance, his determination5. When faced with a hard state of affairs, Caesar would laugh and scorn. For illustration, a conflict at Alexandria fought between Caesar and Achillas was described by the ancient historian Suetonius as one of great trouble for Caesar, with every disadvantage of clip, topographic point, and littleness of his force. The conflict was about lost when Achillas cut off the Roman s H2O supply. His ground forces ready to withdraw, Caesar rapidly ordered the excavation of deep Wellss which more than compensated for the old deficiency of H2O. Caesar narrowly escaped with his life, but because of his continuity, supports shortly arrived, winning the conflict. He besides won many great conflicts against his celebrated rival Pompey, and in most instances Pompey had the advantage of Numberss. Merely through his ain inventiveness, through his inspiration of his military personnels, and through his effectual usage of all resources available to him, was Caesar finally able to get the better of Pompey, clip and clip once more.
Over the class of his life, Caesar took eight 100 metropoliss, conquered three 100 states, commanded over three million work forces, took more than a million captives, and killed yet another million on the field. Such efforts could by no agencies have come out of pure opportunity! Caesar had outdone wholly old great Roman generals before him. Compared with Scipios, Sulla, Pompey, and others, he excelled them all, by get the better ofing greater troubles, by suppressing more land with less soldiers, and by get the better ofing more barbarous enemies6. Julius Caesar was a determined speedy mind. He was able to accommodate to any state of affairs at one time upon meeting it. He was besides an intelligent talker, and inspired his military personnels, non merely with his fluency of address, but by honoring them in surplus of what normal generals would pay. He was barbarous yet cagey, demoing his enemies mercy when it would profit him, and butchering them when it would non.
As a military leader, Caesar was virtually unflawed. He understood good the basicss of conflict, and besides possessed many traits which made him alone. He was perfectly determined and would non accept licking. He drove his soldiers non with arms, but with his ain will and counsel. He subdued his enemies, and accepted their aid where he saw tantrum. His inventiveness lead him to utilize his soldiers and other resources in ways ne’er antecedently thought of. Certainly no other adult male would hold done the same in Caesar s position. Truly, he, in the regard of military ability, displayed extraordinary expertness and capableness. Leaving behind him a bequest of military triumphs and trampled enemies, Julius Caesar one time once more demonstrated he was a true event-making adult male.
Today, Julius Caesar is fastidiously studied and discussed in many historical texts. Many of these plants hail his victory, and declare him one of the most outstanding work forces to of all time walk this Earth. Throughout this essay, it has been shown that Caesar became a turning-point in history, non through opportunity or fortune, but through his ain witting actions, and his ain ambitious finding. By ownership of extraordinary endowment in many Fieldss, Caesar rose to go a true great event-maker. Here was a adult male who so entered history but with one intent in head, to go forth a permanent bequest of his ain victory.
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