awe as Alexander the Great. Commanders that followed, from the ancient
Romans to the Nazis, are said to have felt inadequate in the face of the
Macedonian's achievements.
Alexander the Great. The name alone inspires images of a man with a
massive army at his back, his face laden with both the burden and the
right to sweep the world and bring it under his rule. During his time,
and for centuries afterwards, Alexander the Great, son of the infamous
Phillip of Macedon, was hailed as one of the great, if not the greatest
military commanders of all time. One particular side effect that
Alexander's sweeping conquests inspired admiration in the military
leaders that followed after him, though he may have also made them feel
a bit of status anxiety.
Scipio Africanus, and his Carthaginian counterpart Hannibal Barca were
both recorded to have felt a slight sense of inadequacy at being unable
to achieve the same level of military prowess as Alexander. Hannibal, in
particular, can be seen as having felt status anxiety when he compared
himself to Alexander. According to classical accounts, he felt that
Alexander would not have been defeated in the Battle of Zama, despite
the superior tactics and numbers of Scipio's Roman legions. It was said
that he believed that, if he could have beaten Scipio during that
critical battle, he could claim the same level of military genius as
Alexander.
Julius Caesar, often heralded as the greatest man to have come from
ancient Rome, also felt pressured by the myth of Alexander. Roman
society, the military in particular, often felt status anxiety whenever
the topic of Alexander the Great was brought up. Due to his status,
Caesar often felt a great deal of pressure to at least appear to have
the same status of greatness as the fabled Macedonian ruler. Julius
Caesar often said that he felt as if the citizens of Rome wanted him to
lead the city, along with their Italian allies, to totally dominate the
world. Caesar had managed to expand the empire beyond the average
Roman's wildest dreams at the time. However, according to popular
legend, it was said that Julius Caesar wept when he realized he would
never achieve the same greatness as that of Alexander.
Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, is sometimes said to have
felt even worse than his famous uncle. Whereas Caesar experienced status
anxiety from contending with the myth and legend of Alexander, Augustus
had to achieve victories and glories equivalent to both the Macedonian
conqueror and his late uncle. The pressure, however, did wonders for his
career as dictator of Rome, followed by his later career as the
imperator. Some analysts and historians believe that Augustus focused
more on becoming "worthy" of the name Caesar since most of his actions
were concentrated on making improvements or changes to Rome's political
and social structure. His military achievements, while seen by the
public as worthy of Julius Caesar, would not have been viewed as being
on the same level as Alexander's.
Napoleon Bonaparte, perhaps one of the few generals that can be
considered in the same league as Alexander, often compared himself
unfavorably with the Macedonian. By most accounts, Napoleon was a man
who was supremely confident about his talents and skills. He possessed
great faith in his ability to command the French army from victory to
victory. However, he was once said to have uncharacteristically humbled
himself when some of the people around him compared him to Alexander.
Some stories claim that he was disappointed, for he could not even begin
to conquer the world, whereas the Macedonian came so close to total
world domination.
Modern history also records some leaders who aspired for the same glory
enjoyed by the ancient warrior-leaders. Some accounts claim that Adolf
Hitler often dreamt of leading Nazi Germany to conquer the world, much
like Alexander led the Macedonians. By this time, one of the prevalent
myths about Alexander was that he was intent on conquering the world,
purifying it by the sword. In some ways, Hitler saw a reflection of his
own mission of reclaiming Aryan supremacy. By patterning himself after
history's greatest general, he was, of course exercising nothing more
than self-aggrandizement because Hitler can hardly be considered a
military man.
In the end, it is difficult to ascertain just how much influence the
facts and the myths around Alexander the Great affect modern military
commanders. Perhaps, in some ways, they still feel status anxiety when
their work is compared to the Macedonians, but there is no certainty in
that. The only concrete influence, really, is that any military
commander that goes into an expansive campaign is going to be compared
to Alexander, as a testament to the great general's legacy.
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