Wilfred Stokes

Portfolio Reflection

It is often said that history is written by the victor. Even the strongest militaries will fail

without a good leader. Throughout the past 13 weeks, I have read about military leaders with

various strengths and weaknesses. The outcomes of each Empire have ultimately shown how

effective these leaders were at leading their armies. The three militaristic leaders that stuck out to

me the most were Alexander the Great, King Cyrus, and Trajan. These three leaders were prime

examples of what effective leadership can do for a civilization, and ultimately demonstrated key

traits that are necessary to be an effective leader.

If asked about the great leaders from the ancient world, the first name that comes to mind

is Alexander the Great. How could it not, the word great is literally in his name after all.

Alexander the Great had arguably the largest impact on Greek civilization out of all of his

predecessors. Alexander the Great was an incredibly effective leader, and used his army to

expand the Greek empire farther and faster than any of the other Greek leaders. By the end of his

reign, the Greek empire expanded more than two million square miles, and stayed that size for

another few hundred years after Alexander died (Turchin, Hall and Adams). In addition, he

carried the greatest military record compared to anyone else, with a flawless 20 wins and 0

losses. Not only did Alexander expand the Greek empire, but he also strengthened contact and

trade between the East and West (Roisman and Worthington). The number one attribute that

ultimately fueled the successes of Alexander the Great was his attitude. Alexander was reported

to have been rather cocky, and in turn this confidence rubbed off on his military and lead them to

victory against all their opponents. Having a positive, can-do attitude is key in not only ancient

times, but in todays leadership roles as well.

 The next individual who had a large impact on his society and history is King Cyrus. As

the king of the Persian empire, Cyrus utilized his effective leadership and strong army to conquer

Babylon. Cyrus is most well-known for his treatment to the Hebrew people upon his taking of

Babylon. After being enslaved for more than 50 years, Cyrus allowed the Hebrews to return to

Jerusalem, and to retain their faith (ushistory.org). A true leader by example, Cyruss acts would

inspire and influenced the rulers of Persia that came after his rule. Cyrus was a leader whos

ultimate goal was to positively contribute to society, and left a long lasting impression on the

Persian empire and people. Giving back to people and doing the right thing is another trait that is

applicable in todays world as well.

The final militaristic leader who stood the test of time was Roman Emperor Trajan. Not

only was Trajan a very successful leader, but he was also an incredible mentor to his

subordinates (Kamm). Trajans most famous battles were the two Dacian Wars, in which Trajan

lead his army to victory in both. These victories increased Trajans popularity amongst the

Roman populous (Luttwak). By being an effective leader, Trajan was able to utilize his military

to not only be successful in battle, but to also boost his support from the Roman people. One of

the secrets to Trajans success was his dedication to getting the task at hand done. By relentlessly

pushing and using his resources correctly, Trajan showed how dedication can provide the edge

that is necessary to be successful.

There are those that claim history will repeat itself. However, by looking at the past and

relating it to the outcomes of many modern-day civilizations and conflicts, we can see that this is

not always true. Each human being is unique, and these complexities are what make duplicates in

action nearly impossible (McNeill). It is because of these differences that history can never truly

repeat itself. Even though past may not show us the outcomes of the future, studying it can
provide insight on how to handle various situations when they arise. By understanding what

worked and didnt work, we are able to get that much closer to perfecting the present (Hodges).

The leaders Alexander the Great, King Cyrus, and Trajan, all faced different challenges within

their eras. These challenges were then preserved in stories, which provide insight for leaders

around the globe that came after their passings. The stories told by the past can be lessons of

humility, wisdom, hope, and courage (Postma). The actions and examples set by these three

highlighted key traits of effective leadership, and will serve as prime examples for decades to

come.
 Bibliography

Hodges, Blair D. On the Rhetorical Use of History to Understand the Present. Academia, 7

May. 2012. Accessed 11 August 2017.

Kamm, Antony. The Romans: an introduction. Taylor & Francis Books, (n.d). Accessed 11

August 2017.

Luttwak, Edward. The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire. JHU Press, 1976. Accessed 11

August 2017.

McNeill, William H. Why Study History? American Historical Association, 1985. Accessed

11 August 2017.

Potsma, Michael. What Can History Teach Us Today? ASCD Express, vol. 6, no. 22, 2011.

Accessed 11 August 2017.

Roisman, Joseph, and Ian Worthington. A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. John Wiley &

Sons, 13 Dec. 2010. Accessed 11 August 2017.

Turchin, Peter, et al. East-West Orientation of Historical Empires and Modern States. Journal

of World-Systems Research, vol. 12, no. 2, 2006. Accessed 11 August 2017.

Ushistory.org. Persian Empire. Ancient Civilizations Online Textbook, 2007. Accessed 18 June

2017.