Alexander's failures

[Aren]

lmao. I didn't expect this much info. My reasearch report just went from 6 pages to 8. Thanks guys.

[marcus]

Hi Miguel,Hmmm, an awful lot to take in, there - great thoughts and comment, but it will take me a bit longer to read through it all!In general, though, I think we're thinking along the same lines. It is interesting that Alexander waited until Krateros was away on a mission before he attempted to introduce proskynesis. I read into this that Krateros was extremely important to Alexander, as his best marshal, and yet Alexander knew he would object to proskynesis. So he worked on the basis that, if he could get everyone else on side before Krateros came back, K would have little option but to fall in with it.This says an awful lot about Krateros' abilities, I think - which is helpful, because the sources are always so quiet about anyone other than Alexander himself. What a shame K was killed so early on in the Successor wars... what would have happened had he survived? Which brings us back to the question of groomed, or non-groomed, successors (and the question of whether Alexander left his kingdom to "Kratistos" or "Krateros"...All the bestMarcus

[marcus]

Hi Aren,You're welcome... but your paper might get even longer before too long! All the bestMarcus

[Kit]

I'm inclined to agree with you. I think ATG was far more of a realist than he is sometimes given credit for by people who attribute 'lofty ideals' as his primary driving force.To really consider what constituted his failures, however, would require a greater understanding of what he considered, himself, to be his aims?If ATG himself, didn't really concern himself with what happened after his death- what did matter to him? This would be the basis to consider success/failure.regards,Kit

[Tre]

Hello Karl:You wrote:'I do believe that Alexander worked in a similar way to Hitler ; keeping power in his own hands by distributing it to more than one with no clear demarcation; encouraging their rivalries.'There is no evidence that he encouraged rivalries between his commanders - only an idiot would do that because the one it impacts is himself worst of all. However it appears he was the only one who could 'control' them well enough to make them work together. As to their quality, they were far more bloodthirsty than their master as their behavior after the King's death would prove. Hitler is not a good comparison with Alexander. 'Lyncestis was dead as soon as he had been forgiven; the story of the Persian messenger is apologia, just as the tale of Philip the physician and Parmenion's letter is propaganda. Alexander waits until he is strong enough to eliminate people to act; he is a clever man. Only after eliminating his best advisor,Parmenion, does he turn tyrranical.'We have no evidence that Parmenion was his best advisor, nor do we have any evidence there was a premeditated plan to eliminate Parmenion. In fact we have a lot of evidence he wasn't. That is a figment of Badian's imagination not supported by the historical record.'His greatest failing is to not be able to curb his temper, nor to be imaginative enough to think of a better way of dealing with many people than killing them. Forget the Unity of Mankind , he was a divide and conquer merchant, and one of the best.'His temper was certainly one of his greatest weaknesses. In the ancient world, it was as Jack London said so well 'Kill or be Killed.' So what do you think Parmenion would have done had Alexander let him live after he rightfully executed his only living son? I might add, Philotas was rightfully executed. As for the unity of mankind, there is ample evidence Alexander wanted this, and just as ample evidence his men did not agree with him. He was before his time, even before our time in this, alas...Regards,Tre

[marcus]

Well, I don't know whether Philotas was "rightfully executed", but that's another discussion for another day.However, Tre, I couldn't agree more with your point that there's no evidence that Alexander encouraged rivalry between his commanders. In fact, if one considers the way that Al dealt with the rivalry between KRateros and Hephaistion, and between Eumenes and Hephaistion, it would seem pretty clear that he was very concerned *not* to have any rivalry.All the bestMarcus(DO you realise this took me an hour to write - my boss came in while I was in the middle of typing. So apologies if it's a bit disjointed!)