American History II: Spanish-American War and Cuban Independence
1. HIST2057 American History II
Answer
American Spanish War And Its Indepedence
In many respects, history may take on a life of its own, making it difficult to anticipate.
However, sometimes a person's mere existence is sufficient to bend history to his or her
wishes. Alexander the Great was one of these people. He was able to change the course of
history for himself and the territories he conquered thanks to his conviction, vision, military
strategy and extraordinary physical endurances. From Greece to Babylon, Egypt, and
beyond, he commanded key battles and extended his empire by taking advantage of local
political settings as well as employed sharped military strategy to gain new territory.
Alexander was lauded as a great military commander as his employment of phalanx and
cavalry, along with an instinctive sense of leadership, forced his opponent to retreat,
allowing him to never lose a fight. Although few of the tactics that Alexander employed was
borrowed from his father King Philip II of Macedon, still it was under the tutelage of
Alexander the Greek rose to significant heights. The V-shape of the Macedonian Companion
Cavalry set it apart from the rest of the world's cavalry at the time. This form had the benefit
of allowing the leader at the front to give orders to even the last soldier without having to
speak. Additionally, he made use of the Phalanx who were a group of trained soldiers. It
formed a square and had a circular shield and spears as weapons. The phalanxes were able
to generate a great deal of forward momentum due to their compact and distinct design.
The Macedonian Phalanx would be invincible against the opponent's dispersed and
uncoordinated forces.
For Alexander, the three great wars against the Persian Empire were Granicus, Issus, and
Gaugamela. All three were won by Alexander's ability and not chance. Despite the numerical
disadvantage and the hard terrain, Alexander deploys his cavalry, soldiers, and infantry
extremely deftly to win the fight against Darius.
References
Kholod, Maxim M. "The Cults of Alexander the Great in the Greek Cities of Asia
Minor." Klio 98, no. 2 (2016): 495-525.
2. Law, Madison. "The Many Faces of Alexander the Great: Ruthlessness and Benevolence in
the Asiatic Campaigns of 331-326 BCE." Wittenberg History Journal 43 (2014): 5.
Willekes, Carolyn, Howe, Garvin, and Wrightson. "Equine Aspects of Alexander the Greats
Macedonian Cavalry." Greece, Macedon and Persia 2015 (2015): 47-58.
