Alexander The Great Leader Essay Research Paper — страница 2

tolerate them in himself. After slaying Clitus, a good friend who had saved him earlier during a war with the Persians, during a heated argument Alexander was devastated. Later, Alexander went on to invade India which took several months. Many died in the track through the desert including his beloved old war horse Bucephalus. Alexander built a city on the spot where his horse died and named it Bucephalia. Fortunately, Alexander had put over 30,000 Persian boys into Greek military training – by the time they got back, these boys were warriors – the Macedonians became jealous. In 324 B.C. Alexander’s best-friend Hephaestion died of fever. Alexander was devastated and reeked havoc on the doctor who had treated his friend. He never truly recovered from his friends death. He

drank heavily and caught fever. On June 10th, 323 B.C. he died at 33 years of age. His dreams of a united empire were soon to crumble. Leadership characteristics as a King:  He respected all and treated people fairly, he was generous and compassionate.  He was a master at integration – of people and their cultures  He easily adapted to environmental and cultural conditions  He ruled by example  His wars were not personal vendettas  He was an expert in strategic planning.  He had a policy of assimilation and became ruler of half the known world in a hand full of years.  He ruled with the people, not over them.  He was extremely loyal to his friends Discussion Questions: 1. Why was Alexander such a “great” leader? 2. Did Alexander have any

weaknesses as a leader? If so what were they? 3. Was the unity of Alexander’s empire destined to fail after his death? How could he have ensured the survival of this unity? 4. Can you think of some modern-day examples of leaders that have similar characteristics to Alexander the Great?