Alexander The Great's Influence On Western Civilization

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Alexander the Great and the Macedonian Empire dominated the ancient world from 336 to 323 B.C. through military force and cultural exchange. The army of Macedonia had achieved an abundance of success due to Alexander's ability to provide his militaries with the best weapons, instill the training needed to perform battle formations and endure battle as well as the attitude needed to overcome adversity such as being outnumbered by the Persians. Despite conquering various lands, Alexander the Great chose not to impose his rule, but rather embrace certain customs, in order to spread Hellenism and eliminate the perception of being foreign; the process of unification impacted western civilization by mixing the people of Macedonia with other conquered …show more content…

The teachings of Aristotle impacted Alexander by showing his conquered provinces a sense of tolerance due to both generosity and political wisdom rather than applying an artificial scheme to all countries; the adoption of the division of power was incorporated to prevent the possibility of rebellion (6). However, despite implementing an improved political system, Alexander established himself as a liberator by using harsh force on rebellious cities and executing an individual with a powerful influence that threatened his control (1). In order to achieve his mission of unification, Alexander felt that the best method of instilling Hellenism was by abiding with their values; he adopted the dress of a Persian king at the court ceremonies in order to strengthen his relationship and appear less foreign toward the Persians (6). Alexander the Great devised various means for unification by proposing to relocate settlers, promoting intermarriage between Persians and Macedonians, and instituting equality towards military service by training the youth located in the East as Macedonian soldiers and teaching them how to use their weapons in order to become Hellenized barbarians after 5 years (6). Alexander the Great had significantly impacted western civilization by creating various systems in order to strengthen the overall influence of the Greek