World leaders hold the power to shape the course of human history, and two of the most significant empires to ever exist were the Roman and Mongol empires. Augustus Caesar, the leader of the Roman Empire was born in 63 BCE; Genghis Khan, the leader of the Mongol Empire, was born in 1162. Though born ages apart, they were both effective leaders who established expansive empires and while there is no arguing against their ability to lead such empires, a question remains; what qualities made them such excellent rulers, and which ruler created a more stable empire? Each empire held immense power for many years, but because of the difference in the long-term stability of their respective empires, Augustus must be the superior leader.
Augustus serves
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His skill as a field commander and tactician was nearly unmatched during his lifetime. Starting in Mongolia, Genghis conquered and united nearby tribes to form the Mongol Empire, which he would turn into the largest kingdom in history. He faced some initial challenges with Mongol tradition keeping him from immediately becoming a tribal leader, but the results he delivered drove many warriors to support him. Needing to deliver more to stay in power, Genghis continued his conquests. More often than not, the fear surrounding his approach due to the genocide he invoked upon those who resisted him was enough to disband or demoralize would-be defenders, even if they had larger forces. By and large, Genghis was an outstanding military leader that could plan an effective strategy and lead his troops to …show more content…
His empire constantly grew and to effectively govern it while also expanding, Genghis needed to have exceptional organizational skills. For starters, he wrote the Yassa, a personal law code of basic rules to govern his empire. Much like the Code of Hammurabi, it features strict laws and harsh punishments to deter such actions. He also had a great focus on unity. Mongolia was a conglomerate of different tribes and factions; only because Genghis unified them was he able to conquer as much as he did. He recognized this fact from a young age and tried to instill a sense of fellowship in his soldiers. Additionally, much to the offense of those who would have rather upheld tradition, Genghis gave positions based on merit, not on social standing. This gave his army and administration stronger backing as more people had chances to prove themselves under Genghis. All in all, Genghis was a strong administrator that could hold together a massive and constantly expanding