Alexander the Civilizer or Alexander the Tyrant?
THESIS:
Alexander the Great was only 20 years old when he became king in 336, BC and, thanks to his father Philip II and to his education under Aristotle, he was a very competent and able commander. He learned early how to ride a horse, use weapons and command troops. He conquered the Greeks and then led them into battle against the Persians. He liberated Egypt. He then defeated Persia and marched his troops across Iran and Afghanistan, and could go no further because he got sick and died. According to most accounts, he was intelligent, handsome, and a successful military leader, one who cared about his men and paid attention to even the lowest soldier. He respected his enemies by …show more content…

It is Alexander who is emphasized in the textbooks today still.
One classic historian Diodorus Siculus, points out that Philip II built his kingdom to be the greatest power in Europe, and left an army so large and capable that Alexander was able to overtake the Persians without the assistance of allies. Siculus observes that Philip's character, personal courage, military skills, and intelligence enabled Alexander to achieve. http://archive.org/stream/ninevehpersepoli00vauxuoft/ninevehpersepoli00vauxuoft_djvu.txt http://www.ancient.eu.com/Alexander_the_Great/ The historian Justin (3rd c CE) also notes in his writings The Beginning of Philip of Macedon’s Reign, c. 359-352 (Ancient History Sourcebook) that the conquests of Alexander the Great would have been impossible without the military power left him by his equally great father. From the very beginning, Philip had the task of dealing with the politics of uniting the vassals of Macedon. Justin goes into detail explaining those political efforts, without which Alexander would not have been able to proceed with subduing the Greeks and conquering Persia.
Modern historians agree that Alexander had a unique personality that contributed to his successes, but without Philip's uniting the Macedonians; the Greeks making themselves weak with infighting, and the Persians not taking him seriously, especially in the first battle Granicus, he probably would not have had the