Alexander of Macedon: A Great Leader Being the first person to conquer the Egyptian, Greek, and Persian empires in just over a decade was no walk in the park, and neither was integrating a culture into all of those empires nor attempting to unite them all. Alexander of Macedon was this man: he conquered the greatest empires, spread the Greek influence, and lead in a unique way with his inspiring character that he is famous for. Although he was not the ideal leader such as Plato’s idea of a philosopher-king, he was an ethical man who wanted his people content. His well-known title, “Alexander the Great,” was very appropriate for him: his fine character and social goals, his unique political leadership and strategic conquering, and his economic
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Because a huge area of two million square miles (Document 8) was now under one rule and one language, trade became much easier because international trade between different empires and nations were not necessary; instead, trading was more local and simpler because there were no borders to cross. Alexander simplified trade further by establishing a new currency system (Document 2), which would standardize prices and clear up confusions of transactions with currency conversions. This would also open up easier trade routes from Europe and Africa to China and India, without crossing over other empires. Also, having conquered Persia, an “enormously rich prize” (Document 7) and many other territories, Macedonia was not poor, which also contributed to the overall wealth of the empire. His political system of some self-rule probably also allowed cities control over their own trade, without as many restrictions as a dictatorship. The other great part of Alexander’s economic system was that the rulers were not known for being overly wealthy, and therefore corrupted by money. Alexander was not well-known for being very rich; nor was he known for spending huge amounts of money for useless items for his personal benefit or enjoyment. The common people could still control their lives and the economy by themselves. This was one major aspect of Plato’s ideal government, and it worked very well, in practice, in Alexander’s government. Not only did Alexander create a politically-sound system, he also developed an empire with better trade, and therefore more overall
Because a huge area of two million square miles (Document 8) was now under one rule and one language, trade became much easier because international trade between different empires and nations were not necessary; instead, trading was more local and simpler because there were no borders to cross. Alexander simplified trade further by establishing a new currency system (Document 2), which would standardize prices and clear up confusions of transactions with currency conversions. This would also open up easier trade routes from Europe and Africa to China and India, without crossing over other empires. Also, having conquered Persia, an “enormously rich prize” (Document 7) and many other territories, Macedonia was not poor, which also contributed to the overall wealth of the empire. His political system of some self-rule probably also allowed cities control over their own trade, without as many restrictions as a dictatorship. The other great part of Alexander’s economic system was that the rulers were not known for being overly wealthy, and therefore corrupted by money. Alexander was not well-known for being very rich; nor was he known for spending huge amounts of money for useless items for his personal benefit or enjoyment. The common people could still control their lives and the economy by themselves. This was one major aspect of Plato’s ideal government, and it worked very well, in practice, in Alexander’s government. Not only did Alexander create a politically-sound system, he also developed an empire with better trade, and therefore more overall