What can one learn about the values of society based on their views of greatness?

   

 THE VALUES OF A SOCIETY BASED ON THEIR VIEWS OF GREATNESS

   A person who is classified as great, or was in a certain time period, most likely had traits or skills that were admired by people at the time. They would also most likely have to use these traits do something for the good of others. However when a person is considered great to a certain group of individuals, that doesn't mean he was considered as such in his time, or will always be in the future.

Bust of Alexander the Great

       Before we answer this question, we must first attempt to answer the question of whether Alexander was actually great. Alexander did great things. He achieved his father's dream of taking over Persia and was a good leader. He kept all the citizens in his territory in line by being ruthless to traitors but fair to those who exhibited potential. He created a beautiful merge between the different cultures of his empire These were traits that were greatly admired, and made Alexander famous, though it was that he used them to do such amazing things which is what made him a valued figure in the community. Philip II did much for Macedonia being the ambitious man that he was, and his son Alexander carried this trait to. He was striving for the things his father had been striving for, he inspired his people and fought bravely. Basically, he held a similar set of traits to his father, who was the best leader Macedonia had seen in ages, and he did things the way his father had and would have done them, and since everyone had loved Philip it would make sense that they would love his son as well.

Adolf Hitler

       However, we cannot attribute Phillip II for all Alexander's greatness. He was quite similar to another leader, who was greatly admired for a number of  reasons, even if we refuse to admit it. Adolf Hitler was charismatic and intelligent, after Germany had been defeated in World War I they felt a lack of pride in their country and were blamed for the brutality of the war, causing them to have massive war debt. In came Hitler who spoke to them in an assuring manner and said he could fix their problems. This is the same as Alexander's situation because after his father had died, had Alexander not stepped in, many people may have feared they would go back to the way things were before Phillip's rule. Hitler protected the people of Germany so in turn the people protected him from being seen in a bad light. In Macedonia people probably feared Alexander because he was known for being ruthless with traitors, so they didn't exactly want to get on his bad side.
       In conclusion, one can tell the values of a society by the traits of the people they classify as great, independent of what time period the person came from. As much as a person is great, he may not be considered so until later, he may not always be considered it, or he may never get the recognition he deserves. I'm sure there are many people who have the ability to be great, but aren't given the opportunity to try or never get the recognition they deserve.



Borza, Eugene. "Alexander the Great." History.. History., n.d. Web. 20 Sep 2013      
     <http://www.history.com/topics/alexander-the-great>.

Fascist Personality Cults. Diss. University of Michigan, Web.   
     <http://sitemaker.umich.edu/fascistpersonalitycult/adolf_hitler>.

"Alexander the Great." Engineering an Empire. History: 27 Mar 2007. Radio.   
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aELQNHNgdKs&safe=active>.