Andrea Selesky

HIST 134
M6: Nano-History Paper
TOPIC: Military History- Alexanders battle tactics that are still taught today
War and conflict over the generation of power and whom possess that power has
been a lifelong struggle. Victory and loss are concepts that have driven motives of
leaders, politicians, generals, and many other public figures that we have seen throughout
history. One of the greatest references to war even today is Alexander the Great, who
claimed his fame from conquering the Persian Empire and for never losing a battle in his
time as a leader. Alexander was arguably one of the greatest historical military figures of
all time, with stories and legends of his battles lasting far past his death. The truth in this
is found in todays military and war tactics that are still derived from that of Alexander
the Great himself.
Some of the main framework for how a military system is run takes on the
skeleton of how Alexander framed his troops. He was looking for the strongest, most elite
fighters that were read for anything that may cross their path. Alexander found people
who could continue his work even after he died. Alexander appointed generals that
followed his procedures and way of running those who worked under. (Bose, 5) This
parallels how the military is run today, with generals that lead and direct soldiers based
off of the militaries rules and guidelines, while helping them accomplish the tasks at
hand.
Part of what made Alexanders tactics so great was that they were so planned out
and organized, something that takes root in our military today. His success came through
knowledge of opposing armies, the surrounding terrain, and harvest calendars

(Mieghem, 41) which is exactly how our military proceeds into battle now. Alexander
always made sure to have top of the line weapons for the time, which is much like how
the United States Military is today. Alexanders armies were run as an organization, a
well-oiled machine, which is how any army needs to run if they want victory to be theirs.
Alexander revolutionized finance. (Fuller, 273) Some of the greatest
government funding goes towards our military. Proper financial managing is extremely
important with the complexity that goes into facilitating a large army or military, and our
government today has set aside trillions of dollars to put towards the missions fulfilled by
our military. Alexander was one of the first however to create organized funding within
his armies, and he did it in a way that was unlike anyone had ever done it before.
Alexander spent more on weapons and protection than many other armies spent because
he saw the value in protecting and equipping his army for anything. Financial freedom
allows for armies to be bigger and better than others.
Alexander the Great is also extremely well known for the fact that he brought
great culture influence into the areas that he conquered and rebuilt. His goal was to bring
Greek culture into the areas in which he was building new empires. (Tanner, 33) This is
something that our military also seeks to do. Often times members of our military go to
other countries and help bring some of western culture and strategy to their aid. This
often times isnt in the violent way in which Alexander did things, but none the less
carrying culture and language into other underdeveloped areas is something that is still
overseen by our military today.
Overall there are some overarching themes that are seen in our military today, that
definitely stem from the success achieved by Alexander. His legend has carried far past

his death, and has created a history that is admired by many powerful leaders. It is
important to understand the downfalls of Alexander, but also what he did well to gain his
title.

Bibliography
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Mieghem, Timothy Van. "Lessons Learned From Alexander the Great." ProQuest.
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