Throughout history there have been numerous wars between humanity. Whether these wars were fought for fitting reasons or for inane ones, the fact remains that they were fought. Alexander the Great, one of the greatest strategists and tacticians to ever live, has inspired awe in many military leaders throughout history. His great strategies have left not only wanting, but feeling a sense of inadequacy in his triumphs. Alexander the Great inspired many people throughout the course of history, with the majority being—in some way—involved with the military or politics. The first man Alexander inspired was Hannibal Barca. According to livejournal.com, “Both Hannibal and Alexander are known for the strategies and tactics that allowed them to win countless battles and overpower numerous enemies” (“Ancient Stuf ”). Hannibal used the pincer movement in the Battle of Cannae to defeat the Roman army. In another battle, he outsmarted his adversaries by backing them into a corner.
For a moment the Romans believe that Hannibal had made a dire mistake, but it was all part of his plan Hannibal used the element of surprise to engage his stronger forces and defeat the army again. However, along with Hannibal’s military prowess, it was recorded that he “felt a slight sense of inadequacy at being unable to achieve the same level of military prowess as Alexander“. The second man who felt inspired by Alexander was Julius Caesar. Caesar was not as inspired militarily as Hannibal was. Caesar’s fascination with Alexander the Great grew a great deal from his status. While Julius Caesar is known as one of the greatest men to come from Rome, it was because of his title that he felt “a great deal of pressure to at least appear to have the same status of greatness” as Alexander.
Caesar sought power and who had more power than the fabled Alexander? He wrote that the citizens of Rome wanted him to complete dominance over the world, shoving him farther into the great ruler’s shadow. Caesar was one of the men who did not look up to Alexander because of his military prowess but because of his image~and Alexander had a very impressive image, According to articlebaseicom, “It was said that Julius Caesar wept when he realized he would never achieve the same greatness as that of Alexander“. Power tempts man, Caesar was only one of many to fall into that temptation, and it was that temptation that caused him so much tormented him The third man Alexander’s actions were influential to was Adolf Hitler. Hitler was a rousing spokesperson and led most of Germany against the Jews. Like Caesar, it was rumored that one of Hitler’s main goals was a conquest of the world.
He wanted to follow in Alexander’s footsteps by using Nazi Germany to complete that goal. According to articlebase.com, “Hitler saw a reflection of his own mission of reclaiming Aryan supremacy” in Alexander’s conquest of most of the ancient world. However, Hitler is not considered a man of military inquisition. By comparing himself and his motives to Alexander the Great, all he did was set himself up for failure. To conclude, Alexander the Great left quite a legacy behindi His legacy inspired men throughout history whether it was through his military actions or acquisition of the ancient world. Hannibal, Caesar, and Hitler were three of the many who looked up to Alexander in terms of military acquisition and conquest. They tried to model their lives and actions after his, which ultimately led them to feel inadequacy when compared to him. Throughout history and into the future, many more men will look to Alexander to find answers to questions they have Whether these answers will come in the form of evil or in the form of good, we will have to wait to find out.
